Natsuki version 1
by topsy krets
Summary: Natsuki Kuga, a twenty something college drop-out from the Fuuka Institute of Technology (FIT), works at a dead job at Otome electronics in its "Geek Force" division. One day her friend sends her a new game which turned her world upside down. DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. All rights are reserved to their respective owners and no copyright infringement was intended.
1. Chapter 0: Natsuki vs The Prologue

**Natsuki version 1.0**

This is my first fanfict which is based on the American show "CHUCK". One of the two American shows that I watched. (Pushing Daisies is the other one.) If you have time, try to watch them both.^^

Anyways, on with the story. Hope you enjoy this.

Oh yeah, I'll be rating it T just to be safe. This is AU and OOC.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own anything. All rights are reserved to their respective owners and no copyright infringement was intended.

* * *

**Summary:**

Natsuki Kuga, a twenty something college drop-out from the Fuuka Institute of Technology (FIT), works at a dead job at Otome electronics in its "Geek Force" division. One day her friend sends her a new game which turned her world upside down.

* * *

**Chapter 0 : Natsuki vs. The prologue**

_Somewhere in the outskirts of Fuuka.._

It was way past midnight and two figures can be seen running and jumping around from building to building.

Running up ahead is a short-red haired woman on a tight fitting black shirt and black pants. Trailing behind is a long haired blonde woman wearing a black tuxedo.

"STOP!" the blonde shouted.

Pant… Pant…

"I SAID STOP! THIS IS MY LAST WARNING!"

The red head still took no heed of the warning.

BANG! BANG!

Warning shots were heard.

"God dammit!" the blonde cursed. She was able to tackle the other when they were both on the ground.

"I don't have it." The red head said as she struggled to free herself from the hold.

"Where is it?"

"Heh." She taunted. "As if I'm gonna tell you." A punch was connected to her face at once.

"Tell me where it is?" at this time the red head is held at gun point.

The red haired woman looked straight into her captor and grinned. "It's for me to know, and for you to find out."

In a flash, the captive knocked the gun from her captor's hand and elbowed the blonde in the nose. She immediately stood up and positioned herself in a fighting stance. "Do you think that I'll make it that easy?"

The captor wiped her bloodied nose and was the first one to attack.

The red head tried her hardest to defend herself from the onslaught of kicks and punches. Though she was able to connect one or two punches, the blonde seems to be unaffected.

"Is that all you've got Hulk Hogan?" the red head asked while avoiding a punch.

"Why? Are you getting tired spider?" the other said as she delivered a side kick which was blocked by the red head.

"Of course no-" her sentence was cut off before she could finish it. A punch landed on her stomach cutting her air out for a few seconds, followed by a high kick to the left side of her head which she quickly blocked by her right arm. _That was close. _She then grabs the blonde's leg and punch the latter's right side, just above the pelvic area.

The blonde stumbled back. "Tsk."

Seizing the opportunity, the red head launches herself forward and attacked the blonde, sending flurry of punches. Her attack was fruitless as the blonde recovered quickly and was able to dodge and block most of her punches.

The blonde quickly dodges an incoming left uppercut. Seeing an opening, she once again delivered a punch - with much more force than before - right on the red head's stomach which made the latter leaned forward, arms holding her stomach. A futile mistake.

Once the blonde saw this, she landed a right uppercut to the red head which was followed by a powerful kick directly to her abdomen that made her flew and skidded a few meters away from the aggressor.

"Damn.." the red head said as she coughs and spit out some blood.

The blonde grabbed the fallen red head by the shirt's collar and lifted her up.

"Where is it?"

The red head only looked at her and smirked.

A punch on the face.

"I said, where is it?" anger now apparent on her tone.

"Pfft, as if I'm gonna tell you."

Another punch was delivered and she was thrown on the ground once again.

The blonde picked up her gun and pointed it to the fallen red head.

"You leave me no choice Yuuki."

BANG!

"This is Armitage." she said while holding an ear piece attached to her left ear. "It's gone. I repeat, it's gone."

* * *

A cobalt haired woman was tidying up the tables and chairs in Mai-hime's oriental diner.

"Finally!" she exclaimed as she finished her work. "I'm done Mai."

"Thanks Natsuki." Mai said. The busty red-haired is the manager and owner of the diner, and is also Natsuki's friend.

Natsuki has been helping Mai in the diner whenever she got her day off or whenever she doesn't feel like going to work.

"Nah, don't mention it." Natsuki grinned. "Well, gotta go now. Got work tomorrow. Bye!"

"Ok, take care. Come by tomorrow for your ramen." Mai called to the retreating blunette.

Before exiting, the blunette looked back and gave her a thumbs up.

The blunette went to the parking lot and went to her car. It is a 2012 new Volkswagen Beetle painted in an orange-and-white color theme with a "Geek Force" logo, a "Running Man" stick figure with an attaché case, on the doors cars and hood. The ride back to her apartment was fast. There was no more traffic since it was way past midnight.

Natsuki lives in a one bedroom apartment. A black couch, a rectangular coffee table with various magazines scattered on top of it, a 32" flat Sony LED tv attached to the wall, and a PS3 comprises her living room. The kitchen has a two door refrigerator, a sink with unclean dishes, small dining table, microwave and a snack bar.

"So tired.." She yawned as she went inside her bedroom. She has a twin sized bed with dark blue colored mattresses. The bedroom walls are decorated with posters from various games, movies and bands. "Need to check my emails first." She turned on her computer and checked her email. She has emails from her online subscriptions and some others but one particular email caught her attention.

**From: **Nao Yuuki

**Subject: **New game

**Date: xxxxx**

**To: **Natsuki Kuga

Hey Natsuki. How are you? I want you to check this new game that our company created. Tell me what you think.

Nao.

"Tsk. Why would I check it?" but her curiosity gets the best of her. She clicked the attachment.

downloading…..

After a few moments…

Natsuki froze from her seat with her eyes focused to the screen. Multiple images flashed before her which in turn made her eyes twitch uncontrollably and then…

Thud!

She fell unconscious from her seat.

On her computer screen…

DURAN version 1.0 transfer complete.

* * *

What do you guys think?


	2. Chapter 1: Natsuki vs Duran part 1

**Natsuki version 1.0**

**Quick A/N:**

I did some minor changes in the prologue. I edited the summary, changed "Geek Squad" to "Geek Force" and also changed the details of Natsuki's car.

On with the story then. This is still AU and OOC.

**DISCLAIMER**:I do not own anything. All rights are reserved to their respective owners and no copyright infringement was intended.

* * *

Chapter 1: Natsuki vs Duran part 1

**Natsuki's POV**

I woke up from the sound of my alarm clock. The time is five minutes before seven. I have work at eight but I'm still too sleepy to get up. "Five more minutes."

_My style is di bom digi bom digi bom_

_Di deng di deng digigi _

_Uuu uuu_

''Urgh'' who in their right mind would call me at this time?

_Carubuano peer with di bom digi bom_

_Di deng di deng digigi_

_Uuu uuu_

"Geez..ok ok." I yawned before picking up my mobile phone without checking the id. "Yes hello. Who is this?"

"Kuga!"

I immediately recognize the voice. Now my plan to sleep the day away is gone.

"Good morning Mr. Casey."

Mr. Casey's the store manager of Otome electronics which I have been working for the last five years. He's an overweight guy in his late forties with a big round beer belly and reclining hairline. He looks like St. Nick actually without the beard of course. I can't say that he's nice and all, but for me he's ok.

"Get your lazy ass to work today. You've been absent for three days!"

Why I have been absent? Well, three days ago I woke up with a head splitting headache. It's like having a hangover but much worse. I can't recall exactly why I ended up sleeping on the floor though. All I can remember was me leaving Mai's diner, driving back to my apartment, checking an email from Nao and after that everything's a blur. Hence, I called in sick that day and I've been on sick leave since then.

"I will be there Mr. Casey." Now I can feel another headache. So much for my vacation, I mean sick leave.

"Ok then and don't be late." With that our conversation's over.

I took my shower and wore my work clothes. My uniform's a white short-sleeved button down, with a left side chest pocket, black pants and a tie. I check myself in the mirror and see a green-eyed, pale looking blunette with disheveled hair.

"This is as good as it's gonna get." I can't help but sigh.

I combed my hair and tied it to a pony tail, and then wear my worn-out high-cut black converse.

I ate my breakfast and toss my cereal bowl in the sink to join the piles of unclean dishes. _Need to wash those later. _I check the time and snatch my employee id, messenger bag, and car keys.

* * *

I got to work at exactly eight o'clock. _Whew._ I immediately went to the employees' locker to deposit my bag and went to my work station. I check some papers and turn-on the computer.

Otome electronics is one of the largest and most popular electronics store in the area. It has various kinds of electronics ranging from kitchen appliances, living room entertainment, and down to the latest handhelds, notebooks, and game consoles but one of the reasons why the store is famous is for their **Geek Force**,or **G-Force,** which I am part of.

It is the technical division of Otome and our job is to attend any inquiries made by our patrons regarding technical stuffs. Our service also includes helping our clients with their computer emergencies. We also render our services outside the store's clientele. Our team also has their own vehicle, which we call the **G-car**, to use for on-site calls. I, on the other, can bring and use the G-carwhenever I want, one of the perks of being the supervisor.

Our Team's motto: "You break it, we fix it."

"Yo Natsuki. You're back." A blonde with awful looking sideburns said as he pats my shoulder.

He's name is Yuuichi Tate. He's part of the G-Force and specializes in Apple products. He thinks that his sideburns helps him get girls, I digress. I sometimes wonder why he's even part of the squad. Most of the time he doesn't know what he's doing. Oh yeah, here's a secret: he has eight toes and has pet cat name Mikoto.

"Yeah, yeah." I said without looking at him.

"Hey captain." Another one of the squad greeted me with a mock salute.

Takeda Masashi, who also specializes in Apple products, is a dark haired guy with a cross-shaped scar on his cheek that still lives with his mother. He thinks he looks tough with this scar, but he looks more like an idiot if you ask me. I mean come on; the guy's scared of roaches and will definitely wet his pants and shriek like a teenage girl whenever he sees one that's flying. And he calls himself tough?

I grunted my reply.

We use to have another member but she resigned a week ago and went to Korea saying that she needs to learn the art of making kimchi and needs to find herself a Hallyu star for a husband. So as of today, I am currently stuck with two turkeys.

By the way, our counter with an orange-and-white theme is located at the midsection of the store. A sign of our "Running Man" logo is placed above it. Atop the counter is a receiver and some store flyers. Back at the counter is a computer, a couple of swivel chairs, stocks of papers, pens and other knickknacks.

"Glad you're back Natsuki." Says a bespectacled woman with short black hair as she passes by our station.

Chie Harada is part of the "Greenshirts." Greenshirts are what we call the sales personnel. Their uniform, as the name says, is a green collared shirt with an Otome logo written on it but instead of black, they wear beige colored pants. She has a girlfriend who also works as a Greenshirt. Chie is one hell of a flirt and will try to get her hands on anybody who wears a skirt whenever her girlfriend's not around. And when I said anybody, I mean it literally. Try putting a skirt on a chair; I won't be surprise if she tries to flirt with it.

Well, these rowdy bunch of people are my friends. Sure those idiots can be quite annoying sometimes, but hey, they make my stay here in Otome worth it, never a dull moment. I will never even say this to them, but they are the closest thing that I have for a family and for that, I'm grateful.

Ring..Ring..

Our first caller of the day.

"Hey sideburns, answer the phone." I ordered Yuiichi. He rolls his eyes before picking up the receiver.

"Good morning Ma'am. This is Yuiichi, vice-captain of the G-Force speaking. What is your computer emergency?"

I left our desk and went to the employees' lounge to get me some hot coffee.

A brunette approached me. "Natsuki, Mr. Casey needs you in his office."

She's Aoi Senoh, Chie's girlfriend.

"Thanks Aoi."

After finishing my coffee, I went to Mr. Casey's office.

* * *

The first half of the day went by fast and before I knew it, it's already way pass noon. Nothing interesting happened. The only entertainment that we got was when a fuming Mr. Casey caught Chie and Aoi making out at the home theater room which so happens everyday.

One of the idiot's not yet back from his on-site call that we received earlier. It's just me and Takeda now. He's using the computer so I end up playing all the games on my mobile phone to pass the time. I'm getting bored actually. _Nothing much to do on a boring day_. I decided to scan the store for any thing that could entertain me at least.

A man on a blue jeans jacket and gray pants entered the store. Various images suddenly flash before me before I could even blink.

_What the…_

"Hey you ok?" Takeda must have noticed my dazed look.

"Yeah, I'm ok." I massaged my temples and closed my eyes. _What was that?_

"Natsuki look." Takeda nudged me on my shoulder.

I looked back at him. "What?"

He eyed me with a raised eyebrow and gestured his lips to the front. I roll my eyes and my gaze follows. My jaw dropped. What happen earlier was easily forgotten and as if on cue, everything's on slow motion.

_Could you be _

_the most beautiful girl in the world?_

_Could you be?_

A brunette wearing aviator sunglasses, plain V-neck gray shirt and brown leather jacket gracefully enters the store. Her tight fitting blue jeans hug her long legs perfectly finished with a knee-high brown boots.

_It's plain to see_

_You're the reason that God made a girl_

_Oh yes, you are_

She took off her glasses and placed it on her head as she slowly strutted her way to our desk like a runaway model and for some unknown reason, a matching wind effect blows her hair.

_Could you be?_

_The most beautiful girl in the world?_

"Excuse me, hello?!" I can hear her melodious voice calling me as she waves her right hand in-front of my face.

I'm in a daze.

All I can do is stare at the beautiful face in-front me and be hypnotized by those alluring crimson eyes.

A nudge.

"Natsuki." Takeda murmured. He's voice breaks me from my trance while a soft hand lifted my chin and I automatically close my mouth.

_Oh my god!_

I'm caught red handed ogling a customer, by the said customer, with my mouth wide open like a fish out of water. I swallow an invisible lump in my throat. I think I lost my voice.

"Ahem. How can I help you?" I stutter. I can feel and say that my face is probably as red as a tomato right now. _This is so embarrassing._

I can hear her chuckle. At least she finds me entertaining.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that." she said in her melodious voice. "I am wondering if you can help me with my phone?"

"Su-sure." Shoot, I'm still stuttering. "Sure, can I see it?" I repeated with more confidence.

She hands me her mobile phone and I couldn't help but shudder as an electric current run through me as our hands touch for a brief moment. _Odd._

"What seems to be the problem?" I ask.

"I won't turn on." She said.

"Did you drop it?"

"Not that I can remember. But can you fix it?"

"I need to check what's wrong with it first and by then we will see if it can be fixed."

"Ok." She said smiling.

I check the phone.

"Ok, we just have to do this…and this..and then…voila! There you go. It's done. Good as new." I said as I return her phone, proud with my handy work.

"Wow, you guys are really good." She said smiling.

I could not help but also smile. "As our motto says; "You break it, we fix it."

"Thank you very much…?" she looks at me as she cocks her head.

"Na-Natsuki." Now I'm stuttering like an idiot again. "Natsuki. My name is Natsuki."

"Thank you very much Natsuki." I love the way she said my name.

"You're welcome." I said flustered.

She turns her back, "Wa-wait!" I hesitantly call her as she walks away.

She stops and looks back.

"Your name." I ask. She raised an eyebrow. "I mean, what's your name? You didn't tell me your name."_ Nice one Kuga._

"Shizuru." She said, still smiling, and walks out of the store.

"Shizuru." I like the sound of that.

* * *

**Normal POV**

_At a Fuuka government facility.._

Agent Armitage was called to attend a meeting held in the general's office.

Knock..knock..

"Come in." A female voice said.

Two black couches facing each other with a tinted-glass coffee table at the middle greeted the blonde. The office walls were decorated with various framed certificates, different paintings of the country side, a 32" LED monitor and a picture of the president. At the back is a brown leather seat and large mahogany table that is placed in-front of the glass to wall window. Beside it is the coat of arms of the government national security and national flag.

Seated in the brown chair is Gen. Maria Graceburt, the head of the government National Security Agency (NSA), wearing her military uniform which is decorated with different colorful badges. Sitting on the couch is a man wearing a black suit.

Agent Armitage saluted the general.

Haruka Armitage. A retired major of the Marine Corp and one of the seasoned veteran of NSA.

The general stood up as she returns the salute and gestures the blonde to sit.

"May I know the reason why I'm called General." The major asked the general politely.

"We want you to retrieve what Agent Yuuki stolen." The general replied.

"Yuuki doesn't have it General. I've also searched her apartment but found no handheld device in her possession. I have already mentioned it in my written report." She said.

"Yes indeed you are right Armitage. Another report also stated that it was gone and destroyed but what we want you to retrieve is the data that was in the device." The general said and continued, "And further investigations revealed that before the device was destroyed, along with the data, a copy was sent to an unknown source."

"Were they able to locate the location?"

"Yes they have. We have already pinpointed the exact location of the said source." The general answered. "We want you to retrieve it Armitage." She added with a stern tone.

"Before I say yes, pardon me for asking General, but what is this data that I need to retrieve?" she inquired.

"Victor." Gen. Graceburt looked at the man sitting opposite the blonde and nods as if giving him permission to answer to inquiry.

The man stood and faces the puzzled blonde. "I am Victor Cole, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency." He held his hand to the blonde which the latter took. "To answer your question, the data or rather the program that we need to retrieve is called Duran."

"What is this Duran?" the major asked.

"Duran is a program that houses and analyzes encoded data. A technology made specifically for the NSA and CIA to track and identify threats to national security. A program that observes and reports what it sees and then cross-check and combine all the intelligence gathered to determine the nature of the threat. It also has information of all the names of our agents, missions, and other confidential data of the government." the CIA director explained.

The blonde looks dumb folded with the information.

"To put it in a simpler term Major," Director Cole paused and continued, "It's like a virtual asset that can identify threats in an instant and has information and secrets of the government."

Armitage nodded her head in understanding.

"We need you to retrieve it as soon as possible." Gen. Graceburt once again commanded in a stern tone. "We can't afford to waste any time. I'm afraid to think of what will happen once it falls in the wrong hands."

"I understand General." Armitage said.

Director Cole gave Armitage a folder. "These are the information you needed for your mission."

She took the folder and opened it. Inside is a picture of a smiling blunette with green eyes.

* * *

_Back at Otome…_

The Greenshirts and the G-Force are now leaving except for a certain cobalt haired beauty.

"Natsuki, were going to Mai's. Aren't you coming?" Chie asked.

"Nah, just go ahead. Need to finish this." Natsuki answered. Her back is currently facing Chie as she is busy fixing a laptop.

"If you say so. Bye then. Don't forget to lock up." The Greenshirt tossed the keys to the unsuspecting bluenette.

"Ouch. Hey!" Natsuki said as she rubs her head and pick up the fallen keys. "Do you really have to do that?" she looks back at Chie.

Chie could only laugh at Natsuki's reaction and wave goodbye.

After a couple of hours, Natsuki finished her work and close the store.

As she was driving her way back to her apartment, she couldn't help but smile as she remembers a certain brunette customer.

_Shizuru._

* * *

Natsuki arrive at her apartment and notices that the door is unlocked.

_Maybe I forgot to lock it. _She shrugs.

She enters her apartment and then hears a faint noise coming from her bedroom.

She gulps nervously, her heartbeat getting faster. Looking for a weapon, she sees a magazine and rolled it. She quietly tip-toed her way to the bedroom door.

She slowly opens the door and peak inside, lights outside dimly lit her room.

A silhouette.

She burst inside; slamming the door to the wall with her improvised weapon in hand and quickly reaches for the light switch. She sees a masked person holding her computer.

The action surprises and startles the unwelcomed guest who promptly turns its back to Natsuki.

Blag!

"Oh, no! Not the computer!" Natsuki said as the masked person dropped her computer.

The intruder is wearing a black long sleeved shirt with matching pants and military boots. A black bonnet mask covers the head and face of the trespasser.

"Do-don't move!" Natsuki shouts nervously as the intruder walks towards the window.

"I-I said don't move!" Natsuki once again said, now her improvised weapon pointed at the intruder.

The intruder stops.

Natsuki slowly approaches her unwelcomed guest, hands tightly grapping her weapon of choice.

Sensing Natsuki, the intruder slightly turns her head to the advancing blunette which prompted the latter to stop.

Natsuki gasps and held her breath, hands trembling.

As the blunette halted her advance, the intruder hastily moves toward the window, swiftly opens it and jumps outside.

The blunette releases the breath she was holding once her unwelcomed guest was out of sight. She quickly runs towards the window and scan the area for any signs of the intruder.

"Darn."

* * *

In a dark alley near Natsuki's apartment, a silhouette with its outstretched arms leaning on the wall for support can be seen. The said figure drops its arms and walks to the back end of the alley. The figure lifts its head up and removes a head gear.

Under the moonlight, one can discern chestnut locks and a pair of crimson.

* * *

**A/N**

Music references:

_Cobra Style_ by Teddybears

_The most beautiful girl in the world_ by Prince

Sorry guys, I asked my friend to upload the edited prologue but it ended up in disaster. darn. sorry for the false alert in update. lesson learned: don't let others do things that you can do or it will end up in disaster. i ended up editing it again. T-T

enough of my rants..

There you have it. The first part of Natsuki vs Duran. *applause* man, who would have thought that making a story was this hard.T_T

Hope this meet up to your expectations. I do apologize though for my poor attempt in humor.^^

I also want to apologize to Nao's fans. Sorry for killing your favorite red head. Please don't kill me..T-T

Oh yeah, I would like to thank all that read, followed and favorite this. You guys are awesome. And double awesomeness to all those that reviewed… =3

Here's a bone crushing and breath-taking bear hug for you guys. *bearhug*

Leeyou: *a moment of silence for the red haired troublemaker.*

DancingFireStar: hmm..hope this chapter answered your question..^^

_**Chapter 2 teaser:**_

_**A date, a blonde and a bomb?**_


	3. Chapter 2: Natsuki vs Duran part 2

**Natsuki version 1.0**

**Quick A/N: **I apologize for any wrong grammars, punctuations and spellings. Enjoy reading… =)

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own anything. All rights are reserved to their respective owners and no copyright infringement was intended.

* * *

Chapter 2 : Natsuki vs Duran part 2

**Normal POV**

Natsuki brought her broken computer to the G-Force workshop the following day.

"What happened to your computer? It's dead! This is murder!" exclaimed Yuuichi when he saw the state of Natsuki's computer.

"I know." said Natsuki, crestfallen. "Can it be fix?"

"I'm sorry Natsuki. We can't do anything about it, only divine intervention can save it." The blonde could only smile sadly at the blunette.

"Let's give it a moment of silence." Takeda said.

The trio bowed their heads together and offered their silent prayers.

"May your hard drives and microprocessors rest in peace." Takeda said after the heart felt silence.

"By the way, how did this happen?" Yuiichi asked.

"Well, there's this ninja dude who broke into my apartment last night."

"What does that have to do with your computer?" Takeda cut in.

"He was trying to steal it and dropped it when I barged into my bedroom."

"Oh cool. Did you like ninjaed your way to him?" Yuiichi and Takeda looked at her with curiosity and excitement in their eyes.

"Of course not! Why would I even ninjaed my to him? What it if he have shurikens and stuffs?" Natsuki could not help but shudder at the thought of shurikens being thrown at her. "I did approach him though but stopped halfway thru."

"Oh, a very brave soul you have Natsuki." Yuiichi praised her as he pats her on the head.

"Thanks Yuiichi."

"But Natsuki, what if he comes back tonight for revenge and then attack you with his nun-chucks?" Takeda asked in a serious tone.

"That's great! Thanks for thinking outside of the box on that one Takeda. And here I thought I couldn't be more freaked out." She couldn't help but titter. Somehow the thought of a ninja with nun-chucks strangling her to death is not a pleasant sight.

"I'm just saying Natsuki." Takeda shrugged, non-committal. "Better be prepared."

She gulped. "Ok, I think I'm gonna go buy me another lock next door at Buy Mart."

* * *

A supersonic blue metallic colored Corvette ZR1 can be seen at Otome's parking lot. Inside the car is a brunette on a phone conversation.

"Like I said, the computer was destroyed beyond repair."

**_'Ok, I understand. It's done.'_**

"Wait, what if she has an external drive? A back-"

**_'It's over Shizuru. NSA is stepping in. Nao's CIA. She's one of our agents and burned us. NSA already sent in Armitage.'_** the caller paused. **_'She's moving in. You're being recalled.'_**

"Because of Armitage?!"

**_'Yes. She's a killer Shizuru, cold school. I want you to listen to me. Whatever happened with Nao, we couldn't stop it. We can't fix it.'_**

"But I can fix this Victor!" she snapped. "If there's a back up I will find it. Just give me 12 hours. That's all I'm asking."

* * *

Natsuki was on her way to Buy Mart when a customer approached her.

"Excuse me, but can you show me the home theater room?"

"Sure. Right this way Ma'am."

On their way, they passed by The Wall. The Wall is where several LED monitors were on display. As they pass-by, the monitors were showing a footage of General Armstrong in a press conference.

The footage caught Natsuki's eyes and she suddenly stopped and stood frozen on her track as images of General Armstrong, missiles being launch, explosions, pies, soldiers, weapons and other images appeared before her.

"Uhm…" she uttered after a few second and looked back at the customer. She sees a Greenshirt passing by. "One moment Ma'am." she said to the customer.

"Morgan! Could you please escort our dear customer to the home theater room?"

"Sure Natsuki."

She looked back at the customer. "Morgan will escort you to the home theater room Ma'am."

"This way Ma'am." Morgan said as he ushered the customer.

* * *

**Natsuki's POV**

_What's wrong with me?! _ I muse as I stride back and forth our counter for the nth time. Something is definitely wrong with me. It also happened yesterday. I think I'm going mental.

"I'm going insane. I'm going insane. I'm going insane."

I'm so deep in my musings that I didn't notice someone approaching me.

"Hello Natsuki." A familiar voice called me.

I stop in my tracks.

"Shizuru!" I said, a bit surprise seeing her again. "Ehm, phone trouble again?" I ask as I eye her discreetly.

Her hair is in a neatly tied ponytail. She's wearing a light pink button down with its sleeves folded till the forearm. The shirt is tucked in a black tailored above the knee skirt finished with black heeled shoes.

"No. I don't have any phone trouble Natsuki." Shizuru answered with a smile.

"So, how can I help you today?"

"I just moved here yesterday and I really don't know anyone from here." She smiled. "I was wondering if you could show me around." she said in her alluring voice. "That is… if you're free." She finished in low and sexy tone.

I think my mind just got fried on that one.

"Of course she's free! Right Natsuki?" Chie said, appearing out of the blue. She walks towards me with a playful smile. "Oh, hi there. I'm Chie by the way." She said as she offers her hand to Shizuru. "And you are?"

"Shizuru."

"Nice to meet you Shizuru." Chie eyed her up and down then whistled. "Very nice indeed." I nudge her. _What? _she mouthed with a raised eyebrow.

"Anyway, Natsuki here is absolutely free." She puts a hand on my shoulder. "She has all the time in the world."

I give her a stern look.

"What's that Sir, the fax machine?" Chie said to no one and left us but not before giving me a wink.

"Sorry about that." I apologize, embarrass of my friend's antics. "You know what, my schedule's wide open." I said with a grin.

* * *

My shift ended earlier than usual so I went home immediately and check my wardrobe right away. Problem is… I don't know what to wear later. This is a dilemma.

I'm screwed. I don't know what to wear later for my date. Wait, did I just said d-date? Ok. Uhmm… that aside, I need the help of an expert.

Mai Tokiha's my bestfriend, she's more like a sister, really. I met her when the Tokihas took me in when my dad left me at their care. Her parents and brother died in a car crash a year after, but Mai didn't shoo me away. She, instead, fends for both of us and treated me like her own sister. Anyway, enough of the drama. I have an emergency situation here people!

"Mai!" I call her out as I repeatedly press the doorbell. It's a good thing her apartment's a door away from mine.

"Hello Natsuki." Reito opened the door for me, flashing me his trademark toothpaste smile. "Nice to see you."

Reito Kanzaki is Mai's boyfriend. He's a heart surgeon at Garderobe Medical Center. I use to live with Mai before, but when her boyfriend moved in; I moved out, more like moved a door away from her.

"Nice to see you too Reito." I scan the living room as I enter. "Where's Mai?"

"She's in the bath. Would you like some tea?"

"No thanks but do you have a soda perhaps?" I settle myself at the couch.

Mai lives in a two bedroom apartment. Her living room looks mine but it's all tidied up. I can actually see it sparkle, too clean for comfort.

Reito handed me a can of diet coke. "Thanks."

"Hello Natsuki. To what do I owe this visit?" Mai came out fresh from the bath drying her hair.

Though we see each other at the diner whenever I help her, I haven't visited Mai for a long time. I mean, like really visit her where we will just sit down and talk about anything under the sun. She's busy with her diner stuffs and I, well, I'm busy with my geek stuffs. I also don't like to intrude in their love nest, not that Mai would mind though.

"I just want some soda." I show her my diet coke.

"Oh really." She raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"Excuse me ladies." Reito walk towards Mai. "I need to go. I have a surgery at thirty." He hugged Mai and kissed her. "See you later babe."

We continued our conversation when her boyfriend's gone.

"So…?"Mai looked at me curiously and sits beside me.

I finish my soda first before answering.

"I need your help Mai. You see, I'm going out later tonight and-" Mai cuts in before I could even finish.

"Wait, you have a date?! Why was I not informed?" she's over reacting and I didn't even mention the D word.

"Woah, chillax Mai. It's not a date ok. It's more like me showing her around."

"But it's still a date Natsuki." She said pouting.

"Geez, ok. It's a date then. So, can you please help me?"

"Of course I will. Shoot."

"Well… I really don't know what to wear."

"Don't worry about that. Leave that to me." She grabbed my arm and led me to my doom, I mean their bedroom.

* * *

"Tell me about your date." She asked, rummaging through her closet with her back on me.

"Her name's Shizuru."

"Ok… so tell me something about this Shizuru. Where did you meet her?"

"I met her in this chatroom and-"she turns her head and look daggers at me. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I met her at Otome's." I wave my hands frantically. Ohh, Mai can be scary. "She has chestnut colored hair, beautiful red eyes, and…hot." I can't help but blush as I said the last word.

"Good." Mai said as she once again rummage her closet, satisfied with my answer. "Here, try this on." She hands me a skimpy black dress.

"Don't you have something casual?" I grimace at the sight of it. "You do know that I don't do dress right? And besides, I'm just gonna show her around. I don't think that dress is appropriate for the occasion. You know what I mean."

"But-"

"No way in hell that I'm going to wear that dress Mai!" I cross my arms.

"Ok." She sighed. "How about these then? These are the most casual clothes that I have here."

I smile at her and give her an ok sign. I went inside the bathroom and change.

I'm dress in a plain white v-neck shirt, black skinny jeans, and of course my ever reliable black worn out converse. Mai also lend me her gray jacket just in case it gets cold.

"So... how do I look?" Mai's at the living room watching tv.

"You look casual but decent." She looked at me. "But I still think that the black dress will definitely, a 100 percent, look better than that. Oh well." She said a bit disappointed.

"Mai!" She's such a...

"Can't say I didn't try." She shrugged.

"Not in a million years will I wear that dress! This is a thousand times better." I tie my hair up in a ponytail. "Gotta go. Thanks by the way."

"You're welcome." She stood up and gave me a hug. "Don't ever mention the ex ok? And don't forget to tell me all the juicy details of your date." She said in a teasing tone.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Never mention Julie. Whatever. Bye." Why would I even mention her in the first place?

"Enjoy your date!"

"I'll try."

* * *

**Normal POV**

Shizuru lives in Aries, an upscale hotel and condominium building located at downtown Fuuka. Her studio unit, with a black and white interior theme, is located at the eighteenth floor which gives her a perfect view of the city through the unit's glass windows.

Shizuru came out of the bathroom clad in a pair of lacy lavender underwear and walked straight to her vanity mirror. She took a pair of hairsticks, its tips doused with poison, and used it to hold her messy bun. She then applied a little makeup.

She made her way to her closet, where she put on a stylish Kevlar vest and strap a set of ankle knives. Afterwards, she wore a khaki batwing short sleeved shirt, denim legging, and black heeled boots. She opened her bedside drawer and took out a gun which she hides behind her back.

* * *

"She's picking me up to show me around." Shizuru's pacing while on a phone conversation.

**_'You're on your own on this one Shizuru. I can't help you if something goes wrong.'_**

"I don't know Victor. She seems nice."

**_'Nice people don't know anything about government secrets.'_**

Knock... knock…

"What should I do if she runs?" Shizuru opened the door.

**_'Kill her.'_**

* * *

After their short tour, Natsuki and Shizuru went to Yuji's for dinner.

Natsuki ordered a steak while Shizuru settled for a salad. After the hearty meal, Natsuki started the conversation.

"So, what can you say about Fuuka?" she asked as she scoop a spoonful of her sundae.

"Lovely." Shizuru answered.

"That's great!" Natsuki gave her a toothy grin. "You met Chie already right? I can also introduce you to some of my friends if you like."

"That's very nice of you Natsuki." She smiled.

"I wonder if you can still call me nice when you meet them. Remember the other guy besides me yesterday when you went to Otome's? The one with a scar on his face?"

Shizuru nods.

"He's Takeda. He thinks his tough and will tell you how manly he is but wait till he sees a cockroach. I remember when we went to Tate's. He was telling us his manly adventures when a cockroach crawled on him. He was squealing like a teenage girl and begs us to shoo it away but when it flew and landed on him again, he cried like a baby. You should have seen the look on his face. Hilarious." Natsuki laughed as well as Shizuru.

"Really, he did?"

"Yup, and then after that he made us promise to not tell a single soul about it. Don't tell him I told you though."

"You're funny Natsuki." She gave Natsuki a wide smile.

"Thanks. Atleast I don't bore you. Hehe." She sheepishly scratches her nape. "So... tell me something about yourself. I don't know, but you have this mysterious aura in you and I can't help but think that there is something wrong with you."

"Plenty, believe me." Shizuru said as she calmly sips her iced tea.

"Is that your big secret? I can't seem to figure you out."

"Not much of a secret but I recently came out from a long relationship so I make the whole baggage."

"I can be your very own baggage handler." Natsuki blushed when she realized what she just said which was followed by an awkward silence.

"Anyway, would you like to go somewhere else?" the flustered blunette said.

* * *

"By the way, why did you move here?" Natsuki asked as they made their way to their next destination.

"I move her from Tokyo to forget about my ex." Shizuru answered.

"I don't like to pry but was it a bad break up?" the blunette looked at the brunette walking besides her.

Shizuru smiled before answering. "No, not really. We were in good terms when we decided to break it off."

"Why move here if you guys were still in good terms? It's not like I'm trying to shoo you or anything but Tokyo's a livelier city than Fuuka." Natsuki puts her hands of her jacket's pockets.

"Well… after I realized that all of his friends were my friends and everything about Tokyo reminded me of….Naoto… I needed change." The brunette explained. "How about you? Tell me something about yourself too."

"Hmm… well, I grew up here in Fuuka and that's about it. Nothing much to tell." Natsuki shrugged.

"Any skeletons in your closet? Like secrets you want to share." Shizuru asked in a low voice.

"Ah...there is actually..." the blunette paused. "Well…when I was in college, there's someone…"her voice trailed off. "Anyway, it's all over with now and her restraining orders are very specific." They both laughed.

"I like you Natsuki." Shizuru looked at Natsuki as she said this which prompted the blunette to go red in the face. "So where are we going?"

Natsuki zoned out as unsettling images appear before her when General Armstrong's convoy of black cars passed by.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru asked, a few steps ahead of her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah..." she awkwardly scratched her nape and walked towards the waiting brunette. " Sorry, I zoned out."

"So… where are we going?"

"Do you like music?"

"Hmm... not that much. Why?"

"We're going to Rorschach."

* * *

A black van was parked outside the club.

"See that girl on a gray jacket and ponytail? She's Natsuki Kuga. She's our target." Armitage informs her companions, three guys in black suits. "The general wants her alive."

"How about the other one?"

"She's expandable." Armitage cocks her gun. "You can kill her."

* * *

As Natsuki and Shizuru enters the club, Armitage and her gang of men in black followed suit.

There was a live band playing that night when the unsuspecting pair went inside. Natsuki ordered herself a glass of beer while Shizuru ordered a cocktail drink. Once they have their choice of liquor, they settled themselves in a corner booth.

"They're good." Shizuru said a bit louder while bobbing her head a little.

"That's good." Natsuki said, drinking her beer.

On the corner of her eyes, Shizuru noticed the men in black among the crowd. "Let's dance." She grabbed Natsuki's arm and led her in the middle of the dance floor.

"Wait, I don't really know how to-" Shizuru started dancing before she could even protest. Natsuki followed, dancing awkwardly.

Shizuru tilted her head a little as she removes the hairsticks –which she discreetly threw to the incoming suits – and shakes her hair down slowly. She then puts her arms around the blunette and started grinding their hips together to the beat of the music. Natsuki couldn't help but blushed at the contact.

Shizuru then turn Natsuki around and slowly moves down, her hands playfully touching the blunette. She grasps Natsuki's rear, eliciting a yelp from the flushed blunette. Shizuru then took out a knife, and quickly turned around to stab another suit behind her and shoved him away. She made her way up to Natsuki again and leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "Let's get out of here."

* * *

"Give me your keys Natsuki." Shizuru commanded once outside the club.

"Woah! I don't want to be old fashioned but the company only wants their employees, the geeks for that matter, to drive the G-car." Natsuki said as they approach the G-car.

Shizuru picked the lock before Natsuki could even hand her the keys. "How did you open the car?" Natsuki asked. "Where are we going?"

"Just get in the car Natsuki!" Shizuru shouted. Natsuki then noticed a fast approaching black van towards them.

Natsuki hastily fastened her seat. "What's going on here Shizuru?" panic apparent on her voice as she looked at the brunette who started driving backwards. "Shizuru! You're not even looking!"

Shizuru, not listening to Natsuki's pleas, still continue driving manically barely missing a car.

The van caught up with them and smashed their front bumper.

"Gah! Oh my god! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" Natsuki grasped her seatbelt tightly while Shizuru just kept on driving backwards, faster this time.

"Tell me when to turn." Shizuru told the panicking blunette.

"Ahm... ahm... less than five seconds." Another bump. "Oh god!"

"You're left or my left?"

"W-what?" Natsuki looks back again.

"Too late." Shizuru said.

Natsuki yelp as Shizuru took a sharp left turn. The car descended down the stairs and stops.

"Listen to me Natsuki," Shizuru faced the panicked stricken blunette. "Those guys are from the NSA and they're after you. They will hurt you."

"M-Me? W-why are they after me?!" the blunette exclaimed. "I'm nobody! I'm just a supervisor of the Geek force in Otome!"

They didn't notice the van approaching. The driver smashed the van right at the side of the G-car which has skidded a few meters.

"Get out of the car Natsuki. Hurry!" Shizuru said to the disoriented blunette.

The brunette took out her phone. "Requesting emergency air-evac. Track location, we're on foot." She hastily grabbed Natsuki's arm. "Let's go." They both run to the nearest building.

* * *

_At the building's rooftop…_

"How well do you know Nao Yuuki?" Shizuru asked while catching her breath.

"Wait…how…do…you...know…Nao…?" a panting Natsuki asked.

"We worked together at the CIA." Shizuru answered as she scans the area.

"What? The CIA? Nao's a spy? Nao Yuuki from Hokaido is a spy?!"

"A rogue spy." Shizuru corrected. "Did she try to contact you?"

"Why would she…I mean, I haven't heard from Nao since…Wait! She sent me an email. It was some game." Natsuki answered.

"A what?" asked Shizuru, puzzled.

"A game. She sent me a game. She said that it was a new game that their company created and she asked me to try it out."

"Did you open it?"

"Yes, and then there were pictures, lots and lots of pictures."

"You saw them?!"

Natsukit gulped.

"Your computer, do you have a backup? An external drive?"

"N-no, I don't have any." Natsuki looked at Shizuru. "Those pictures, was I not suppose to see them?"

Shizuru reached for her back. "Look Natsuki, I'm about to aim my gun at you. No matter what happen don't freak out." She murmured as she steps back a little.

"Why?" the dumbfolded blunette asked.

"It's getting late. I'm tired and hungry." An unfamiliar voice said. "Let's cut the crap here and give it to us. She belongs to the NSA." Haruka appeared before them.

Shizuru reached for her gun and aimed it at Natsuki who gasped and raised her arms. "No! CIA gets her first."

Haruka took out her gun and aimed it at Shizuru.

"Come any closer and I'll shoot her." Shizuru warned the blonde.

"Shizuru, I'm freaking out!" Natsuki muttered nervously.

"Hmm…" Haruka thought about it for a moment. "You shoot her; I shoot you, put both your bodies in a bag and then maybe go out for a late night snack. I'm thinking about having me some ramen after."

Seizing the opportunity, Natsuki turned around and run.

"Natsuki stop!" Shizuru called the blunette who suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

Pictures of C4s, a bomb demolition expert, bomb explosion, General Armstrong and other disturbing images appeared before Natsuki.

The blunette turned back at them. "They're gonna kill him." she said pointing at the hotel.

Haruka looked at the blunette with her gun still aimed at Shizuru. "Kill who?" she asked.

"Armstrong. General Armstrong, the NATO guy."

Haruka looked back at Shizuru, baffled.

Natsuki rolled her eyes in agitation. "Ok, look. Something is wrong with me. I don't know what it is but something is very very wrong with me. I've been seeing weird images and I've been remembering things I shouldn't."

"Ok Natsuki. Talk to me." Shizuru said trying calm to the anxious blunette. "Like what?"

"I don't know… I don't know...Ahm… For example, I saw… I saw a Russian demolitions expert at Otome's yesterday. Isn't that odd?" said the agitated blunette.

Haruka glanced back at Natsuki after hearing the outburst.

"The NSA." Natsuki turns to Haruka. "You guys have a blueprint of a hotel." Natsuki points at the said hotel. "Blueprint of **THAT **hotel! And then the CIA," she then turned to Shizuru, "You guys intercepted a file with schematics of a bomb in Ukraine. The **BOMB **in **THAT **hotel!"

Haruka shifted her aim at Natsuki who raised her arms once again. "She was working with Nao."

"No, she's not!" Shizuru said, now pointing her gun at Haruka. "She opened Nao's email and she saw the images."

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Natsuki, the images that you saw were encoded with government secrets." Shizuru explained to Natsuki. "If you saw them then you know them."

"B-but there were thousands of them!"

"Wait, so you're telling me that all of our secrets are in her head?" Haruka said, aiming at Natsuki's head.

"Natsuki **IS **the computer." Shizuru told the blonde.

"W-wait! What does that even mean?!" Natsuki asked in a panicked tone.

"You have to listen to me Natsuki. You have to tell us where-" Shizuru was cut off.

"What's happening to me?!" Natsuki shouted.

"You said there was a bomb. Is there time to stop it?" Shizuru asked, ignoring Natsuki's question.

"W-what?! Are you crazy?!"

"We're the good guys here. We stop bombs from exploding." Haruka told the apprehensive blunette.

"Look... I can't... I can't help you. I wish I could, but I can't. Call Nao, she can save the day."

"Nao is dead." Shizuru paused and looked straight to Natsuki's eyes. "She **DIED **sending those secrets to **YOU.**" She stated with a hint of anger.

"N-Nao is dead?!" Natsuki couldn't believe what she heard.

Haruka fired a warning shot. "Yeah, yeah. The red head trouble maker is dead." She deadpanned. Shizuru looked daggers at the blonde. "And she'll be having a lot of company if you don't start talking. So pretty please? Can we diffuse the bomb now?"

Natsuki took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Ok, but were behind schedule. The general's on the stage now."

* * *

The trio rushed immediately to the hotel.

"Haruka, wait!" Shizuru grabbed Natsuki. "We can't take her. She's too valuable."

"Fine." The blonde shoved Natsuki to the ground. "Stay here. Now tell us where to go."

"I… ahm..."

"Tell us the fastest way to get there Natsuki." Shizuru added.

"Right, the fastest." Natsuki stood up and dashed to the hotel.

"Natsuki wait!" Shizuru called the sprinting blunette.

The two agents followed suit and caught up with the blunette. Haruka grasped Natsuki's arm tightly.

"You told me to help you right? I am the only one that can find and identify the bomb." Natsuki looked at Shizuru.

Shizuru nods at Haruka.

"Ok. Now go!" Haruka let go of Natsuki.

They went inside a conference hall where the general was still giving his speech. Natsuki scanned the room immediately and saw a cart with a silver tray placed at the middle of the room. "There!" she pointed and run towards it with the two agents in tow.

Haruka lifted the tray and found a laptop connected to a bundle of C4 underneath the cart.

"Oh god!" Shizuru exclaimed.

Natsuki gasped and stood behind the agents as they check the bomb.

One of the general's securities saw the commotion and approached them. The blonde agent told him what was happening and commanded to evacuate the area immediately.

A minute and half remaining before the bomb explodes.

"We can disconnect the laptop to stop it." Shizuru suggested when she saw a plug connected to the laptop.

"No, we can't. The plug will act as a trigger. If we remove it, the bomb will explode." Haruka explained. "We can cut the wires."

"No, definitely a trap." Shizuru deduced. "Natsuki, is there anything else you remember about the bomb?"

Forty five seconds remaining….

"I..I.." Natsuki suddenly remembered something. "I have an idea." Natsuki bend down and look at the laptop.

"It's not a playbox or whatever you geeks call it." Haruka hold Natsuki off. "And you're not an expert."

"I know. This is a prism express laptop. We sell this at our store. It has a DOS overwrite." She explained looking at Shizuru. "I think I can to this. Just please, believe me." She pleaded.

"She's our best shot." Shizuru told Haruka.

Twenty eight seconds remaining…

"You better know what you're doing." Haruka said.

Natsuki stretched her arms and wiggled her fingers. "Ok Mr. Bomb..." she started typing, "Say hello to Miss Internet." She pulled out the search engine and typed IRENE DEMOVA.

"A porn site?" Haruka asked. Both agents looked at Natsuki.

Fifteen seconds…

Natsuki shushed her. "We have a client yesterday. He was surfing this porn site and his computer got fried. "she explained as she closed her eyes before pressing enter.

5…

4…

3…

2…

The timer stopped at the last second.

"You did it Natsuki!" Shizuru said as she pats Natsuki's shoulder.

"I did it! It worked! I… I diffuse a real bomb!" Natsuki said in delight. "B-but what if it didn't work?" she suddenly said in horror.

Haruka taps her shoulder. "Don't puke on the C4."

* * *

_Outside the hotel…_

_"_She's coming with me." Haruka insisted.

"No! She's coming with me." Shizuru responded.

"What if she was just lucky?"

"What if she wasn't? What if she can stop something bigger?"

"Fine. We take her to a psyche ward; put her in white room and then we'll see. She'll tell us what we want  
eventually." Haruka said.

Natsuki approached the arguing agents.

"We can't. We don't know how this works. What triggers the memories." Shizuru retorted. "She could have a break down."

"Not my job. I destroy things, not fix them." Haruka said, pokerfaced.

"What about her job? Her friends?"

Natsuki heard Shizuru.

"What about my friends?" she asked Shizuru.

"Nothing. We were just discussing-"

"Hold on a second here. You have to leave my friends out of this." Natsuki said.

"We'll see." Haruka deadpanned.

"Look, " Natsuki said, feeling exhausted. "Nao sent me that email. I'm the one who knows your secrets. I'm the one remembering them which mean that you have to listen to me, both of you. And right now… I want to go home." Natsuki was about to leave when Haruka stopped her.

"You're not going anywhere." The blonde agent said.

Natsuki shrugged off Haruka's hold. "You..." looking at the agents, "You need me." The blunette takes off, leaving the two agents behind.

* * *

"How long have you been here?" Shizuru approached Natsuki who was sitting on a swing.

"All night." Natsuki answered without looking at her.

Natsuki has been in the playground all night and has been in deep thoughts since.

"There's no way that I could run, is it?" Natsuki asked, glancing at the brunette who sits beside her.

"Not from us." Shizuru replied looking at the now silent blunette. "Talk to me Natsuki."

"Three days ago I was making 1,200 yen an hour fixing computer, and now I have one in my head. I don't know why Nao did this to me… I don't know why she sent me that email." The blunette sighed. "What are you gonna do to me? Do I have to quit my job and go into hiding? What happens now? " she asked, feeling dejected.

Shizuru gave her an apologetic smile. "For now, you go back to your own life. We protect you and you'll work for us."

"What about my friends?"

"It is better for them to know nothing. Tell them nothing to keep them safe." A pause. "I want you to do one more thing for me."

"Yeah?"

"I want you to trust me Natsuki."

Natsuki answered with a weak smile.

* * *

Ding...dong…

"Coming!" Mai opened the door. She was instantly held in a tight hug. "Ei, Natsuki…?" she asked, puzzled by the blunette's sudden action.

Natsuki let go of her puzzled friend and sighed deeply. "Good morning Mai." She gave her a wide smile. _I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you. _

"Good morning to you too." Mai also smiled at her. "Why are you here early in the morning?"

"I miss having breakfast with you and you still owe me a ramen." She grinned.

"That's sweet Natsuki." Mai smiled fondly at her. "You have to tell me about your date first." She gestured Natsuki to come in and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. "How did it go? I can see that you've been out all night." She said in a teasing tone.

Natsuki could only smile at her bestfriend.

* * *

_At Shizuru's…_

Shizuru turn on her laptop and opens a folder. Inside the folder were images of Nao and her together. With a forlorn expression, her gaze stayed longer on a particular picture: a grinning Nao whose arms were around a smiling Shizuru.

A lone tear escapes her eye.

* * *

_At Otome's…_

"Good morning Mr. Casey. Takeda said that you were looking for me." Natsuki greeted her boss who was busy doing paper works.

"Yes. I want you to train the newbie." He said without looking at her.

Natsuki went out of the office to meet the newbie.

"Hello, I'm Haruka Armitage. Nice to meet." She smirked and greeted the surprised blunette. " Please take care of  
me."

* * *

**A/N:**

(Club) Music Reference**:**

_Put your money where your mouth is _by Jet

**North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): **I want to explain this, if I may.^^ Some maybe wondering, or wouldn't even mind at all, why a NATO general is in Japan, when Japan is not a member of it. Recently there are some disputes in the Southeast Asia Pacific and it is said that there will be some kind of an Asian NATO like alliance if those disputes were not settled, hence the NATO guy. This is still fanfiction though. =3

**IRENE DEMOVA virus: **a computer virus, named after a Serbian porn star. Don't even try it, it's deadly. ^^ It could kill your computer. You've been warned.

Hmm.. I think the club scene is…sorry, I don't know how to dance and I think, in my opinion, I haven't done justice to Shizuru's sexy dance. Waahh… Sorry about that. Spare me… T^T

Thanks to all who reviewed and read. Me happy. Keep them coming. XD

**tweny-six whitewave: ** thanks for the review. Geek mobile. Love that… hehe… should have thought of that.^^

**recondite123: **thanks for pointing that out. I've edited it already. =) glad you liked my story. *^*

**clara76120: **hello my fellow Nerd Herd and Buy Morian. Nice to meet you. ;)

**Platina GF: **hope this update didn't disappoint you.^^ thanks for the review.=)

**Leeyou: **Thanks for reading. =) nah, Shi-chan's an agent. Hmm… You have to wait and see if she's one of the good  
guys or not.^^

**Guest #1: **yup, Shizuru's an agent.=) thanks for the review.

**Guest #2&3: **thanks for the review.

**_Chapter 3 teaser:_**

**_Shizuru meets Mai. What could possibly go wrong?_**


	4. Chapter 3: Natsuki vs the Chopper part 1

**Natsuki version 1.0**

**Quick A/N:**

Finally, the fast-tivities are almost over. A week more to go and we'll be back to our regular duty hours!yay! The fast-tivities gave me headaches and made me ill. Urgh! It's a good thing I'm able to finish this chapter and this time, I was able to outrun Mr. Lazy-Pants and was able to update. Woohoo to me! Hope this chapter won't disappoint you guys.^^

As always, enjoy! =3

* * *

Chapter 3: Natsuki vs the Chopper part 1

**Natsuki's POV**

Hi, my name is Natsuki Kuga. You can call me Natsuki. No –san, -chan, or whatever honorifics you can think of. Just plain Natsuki is fine.

You see, I have a dead end job at Otome's and I'm a supervisor of the Geek Force division. My life was pretty boring but not until two weeks ago. My world turned upside down when I received an email from a college buddy of mine, Nao Yuuki.

Nao has been working with the CIA when she stole a whole bunch of government secrets. Big important secrets. Really nasty, scary, and you'll probably get killed for having them secrets. Next thing I know, all those secrets were downloaded into my brain which means that every moment of my life is in danger.

Now my life is filled with spies, car chases, computer stealing ninjas, bombs, and me saving the day.

The NSA sent in their top agent to protect me. Haruka Armitage and she's pretty scary. She now works in Otome's as a cover. So now, I must protect the country from assassins, terrorist….

"Haruka!"

And shoplifters.

Chie and I are currently running around the parking lot, chasing the blonde and a shoplifter.

Haruka tackles the poor guy to the ground. Urgh, that's definitely gonna hurt.

"Haruka, no!" I say, catching my breath, as I stop Haruka from punching the life out of the shoplifter. "It's just a game. See?" I point at the stolen game. "No lives are in danger. No government threat or anything. The country is still safe."

Haruka shakes off my hold and grunts.

"Woah." says Chie, panting. "You take your work way too seriously blondie." Haruka shove the stolen game to her and lifted the shoplifter by his shirt's collar.

"That's because she's crazy!" I exclaim, still out of breath.

"Tell me something I don't know." Haruka said to me as she drags the shoplifter away with Chie following behind.

When the two left, I see a brunette on pigtails wearing a skimpy waitress outfit across the parking lot, cleaning a table outside Issei's Wiener.

The CIA also sent in their top agent. Shizuru Fujino. She's beautiful, sexy and hot. Oh, I forgot to mention that she's posing as my girlfriend. I know right? I couldn't ask for more. She also told me to trust her; but like everyone, she's got a past.

**_~Flashback: a week ago.~_**

My next door neighbor, actually five doors away neighbor, forgot to turn off their gas stove, and right now their apartment is on fire, as well as the other units and the fire is almost near mine.

Fire fighters arrive just before the fire reaches my unit. Thanks goodness or else I won't have anyplace to stay since Mai is with Reito visiting the older Kanzakis.

"Natsuki are you alright?" Shizuru asked when she arrived with Haruka.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I stood frozen when I see the ring Shizuru's wearing.

Images of mocking birds, a video of her killing two guys, and pointing her gun at me flash before me.

"Are you sure?" Shizuru asked. "You can stay with me for awhile if you like."

I swallow hard. "Y-yeah, I'm sure." I say trying to hide my nervousness. "Besides, my apartment's ok. No need to worry. Thanks for the offer by the way."

**_~End of flashback~_**

I cross the street to where the brunette is and went inside Issei's Wiener. I see Shizuru behind the counter.

"Shizuru what are you doing here?" she has her back on me. She's currently busy cooking or should I say burning wieners.

"I work here now Natsuki." She removes the burnt corndogs. "Dammit! I burn another batch."

"So… Why are you working here?" I ask, puzzled.

"Surveillance." She tossed the burnt food at the trash. "I can monitor the Otome's from here while we work."

I raise an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"It's just a cover." She assures me.

"Yeah, it's all part of the plan, because there's a plan right?" I say, a little confused. "I mean, you making gourmet corndogs isn't exactly the reason why you join the CIA; and Haruka is a natural-born appliance sales person." I pause and she looks at me. "And the whole government secrets locked in my brain thing, that I'm sure is not a threat to the national security. So I'm hoping that you can tell me that there's a plan?"

Shizuru nods, "Yup, we have a plan. There is somebody that could help. We can discuss it further tonight." She pause, "How about another date? I can pick you up at 8."

"Yeah…yeah… that sounds…I like that. That sounds great." I say in a daze. "I… I'll… ok…" I turn my back and leave before I say something stupid.

* * *

**Normal POV**

After Natsuki left, Shizuru took out her phone and a folder. Inside the folder are pictures and profile of a Dr. Ritsuko Akagi.

"Natsuki is in." She said while on the phone. "Send the doctor."

* * *

**Natsuki's POV**

_At the G-Force counter…_

"Natsuki, a little birdie told me that you've moved in with Mai." Yuiichi said.

After the fire incident at our apartment building, Mai decided to move out. I made a decision to move in with her which she didn't mind of course.

"Oh really. So?" I ask, bored with all the paperworks I'm currently doing.

"So… I am wondering if maybe I could come by later?" He asked.

"Why would you come by later?"

"Don't you have like a moving in party or something?"

"Not that I know of, but I could ask Mai later." Yuiichi blushed when he heard Mai's name. Now I get it.

You see, sideburns here had fallen head over heals with my busty redhead friend ever since he saw her. Mai, on the other hand, loathe the poor guy. I don't know why though.

"Or maybe…" I see Mai entering the store. "You can ask Mai about it right now." I point at my friend as she approaches our counter.

"Hello Mai. Nice to see you today." Yuiichi beam Mai his most dashing smile, in his opinion by the way. I can't help but chuckle.

As always, Mai ignores sideburns.

"What brings you here Mai?" I ask.

"I'm looking for a microwave. Need to change the old one. Can you help me?"

"I'm busy." I show her my paperwork. "Maybe Yuiichi can help you." I smile at the grinning blonde beside me.

"Of course! I can assist you milady." He said bowing.

Mai rolled her eyes while shaking her head and sigh. Once again, sideburns was ignored. "Guess I have to find it myself then. See you later Natsuki." She said and turns her back on us.

"Mai wait! Yuiichi have something to say." I call her and nudge the blonde beside me.

Mai turned around with a bored expression. "What is it now?" she said to Yuiichi.

"Don't you have a house warming party?" He asked and lean his arm at the counter. I can see Mai's eyebrow twitching.

"No, we don't and even if we have, you're definitely not invited." She said to sideburns.

Yuiichi turns to me, "Hey Captain, help me out here. You got to help a fellow geek in need." He whispered.

Oh well, guess I have to help sideburns.

"Yuiichi's right, we should have one. What do you think?"

Mai narrowed her eyes at me and thought about it for a moment. "Well ok."

"Yes!" Yuiichi pumped his fist in the air and Mai look daggers at him.

"What is this party I hear about?" Chie asked as she approach us and puts an arm around Mai's shoulder. Yuiichi glared at her but she only winked at him. "Am I invited?"

"**NATSUKI** wants to have a house warming party." Mai looked at Chie. "Dinner at our house and yes you are invited. You can also bring Aoi along. The more the merrier."

I return to my paperwork while they continue their chitchat.

"When's the party?" Chie asked.

"Hmmm… I think we can have it tonight." Mai replied.

"No, not tonight." I say. "I have a date with Shizuru."

There was silence and the three looked at me spontaneously.

"What?!" I ask, dropping my work.

"Wow, another date with Shizuru." Mai giggled. "This is very exciting!"

"No it's not!" I can feel my cheeks heating up. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is!" Chie butts in. "She's hot!"

Mai looked at Chie. "You've seen her?"

"Yup! She's a very fine specimen. With all the right curv-"I put my hands on Chie's mouth before she can say something inappropriate.

"Am I the only one who hasn't seen her?" Mai looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I awkwardly smile at her.

"You," Mai points a finger at me. "Bring Shizuru tomorrow night for dinner."

"But-"

"No buts Natsuki and I wouldn't take no for an answer."

* * *

**Normal POV**

_At the main headquarters of the Directorate of National Intelligence in Tokyo…_

"Our most valuable secrets have been sent to an idiot." Gen. Graceburt and the CIA director are currently watching a surveillance video of Natsuki goofing around with Chie at Otome's.

"At least she didn't send in to her friend." Victor said."Operation Natsuki. I can't belive this." He looks at the general. "I spoke with Agent Fujino. She'll deliver Natsuki at the rendezvous point tonight."

"Good." The general opened the top secret file of Dr. Akagi. "Dr. Akagi is on her way to Fuuka. She's our best, NSA's top scientist."

"Well I hope she can fix this." said Victor.

* * *

Natsuki dressed in a black and red checkered button down and black jeans waits for her date outside their apartment compound.

A Corvette ZR1 stops in front of her.

The passenger side window rolls down. "Natsuki, get in." called Shizuru. She's wearing a black halter top and skirt.

"Wow, Issei's Wiener pays well." She said admiring the car. She went inside and fastened her sealtbelt. "So what are we doing? Are we going to the movies?"

"Not exactly."

* * *

"So here we are at our date in Otome's. Great! Is this all part of the plan?" Natsuki said when they arrived at their destination.

"There's a doctor that's here to see you Natsuki." Shizuru said as they made their way inside the store. "She worked on the encoding process of Duran, the computer Nao destroyed and the one that's inside your head. She's coming to examine you."

"Does this examination involve probing of some kind? Or like needles perhaps?" Natsuki asked, feeling nervous.

"Natsuki, this doctor can help you." Shizuru looked at her. "She can remove all those secrets in you head." She explained. "It's what you want right?"

"Yeah…of course." Natsuki answered. "But you're still very vague on the probing thing."

* * *

Natsuki sits on the couch inside the home theater room and Shizuru hands her a headset.

"We've rewired the home theater room for this test." The brunette agent clicked on a remote to close the curtains and then turn on the monitors. "When the images start, just say what they are."

"That's it?" Natsuki asked looking at the agent.

"I'm pretty sure you'll find a way to screw it up." Haruka walks in the room with her arms crossed. She's wearing a black shirt and cargo pants. "The doctor's here." She told Shizuru.

"When do I get to meet her?" Natsuki asked.

"You won't Natsuki. It's important that she doesn't see you. You're too valuable." Shizuru answered.

"Gee thanks! I'm flattered and totally freaked out." She said as the two agents walk out of the room.

* * *

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi is one of NSA's youngest and top scientists. She has shoulder length blonde hair, has green colored eyes, and has a mole on under her left eye. She can be seen wearing a white trench-coat. Underneath the coat, she is dressed in a purple turtle neck sleeveless top, black mini-skirt and finished with black heeled shoes. She is currently waiting for the agents in front of the G-Force counter.

"Ah, Agent Armitage. Agent Fujino. Nice to see you both." She greeted the approaching agents.

Haruka nods her head in response.

"Nice to see you too Dr. AKagi." Shizuru smiled at the doctor. "Thanks for agreeing to meet us in a neutral site."

Dr. Akagi returned the gesture. "Let's begin. Shall we?"

* * *

"I don't understand why I can't see my patient." The doctor stated as she sets up her equipments.

"For your safety, we're keeping patient Z's identity a secret." Shizuru stated.

"Does patient Z work here?" the doctor asked.

"Patient Z…" Haruka glance at the other agent. "Who knows all the secrets of Duran works here in Otome?" she said looking at the doctor.

"Ridiculous. I know." Dr. Akagi replied. "When you hear the tone the test will begin." she said to Natsuki.

* * *

Natsuki made herself comfortable as the test begins.

"Tell me what you see." Dr. Akagi said on her headset.

"A cat."

Another slide appeared on the monitor.

"A naked fat guy."

And another…

"A hippopotamus."

And another…,

"A very beautiful woman at the beach."

And then…

Natsuki flashed as an encoded image appeared on the screen.

"Cardinal One was the top Moscow spy in…"

Images after images, Natsuki kept on spouting out government secrets.

"Ok, well that's just a picture of a turtle." She said at the last slide.

* * *

"Incredible!" Dr. Akagi exclaimed after the test. "Your patient is phenomenal! We didn't imagine this."

"What didn't you imagine?" Shizuru asked the stunned doctor.

"We never thought that a human Duran is possible." The doctor stated. "One person seeing all the images in Duran. All our secrets in one mind." She said in awe.

The two agents were silent for a moment.

"Can you remove those secrets doctor?" Haruka asked in serious tone.

"I… I think I can." Dr. Akagi replied, looking at the agents.

* * *

After the test, Shizuru drives Natsuki home.

"So, did I pass the test?" Natsuki asked once they arrive at the blunette's apartment.

"Yes." Shizuru smiled at her. "You did great Natsuki."

"This doctor, do you think she can fix me?"

"She's hopeful." Shizuru answered. "Yeah."

Natsuki looked at the blunette and nods. "Well, its ok I guess." She unfastened her seatbelt and was about to go out when she remembered something. "Uhm… before I forget, dinner tomorrow with Mai. She really wants to meet you so… but it's ok if you don't want to come."

"It's ok. That would be great." said Shizuru.

"You see, meeting Mai… is a big step if our relationship were remotely real." Natsuki smiled awkwardly at the brunette.

"So… this whole examination thing… if this work out, I guess… were through huh?" she asked Shizuru, her mood suddenly changing.

Shizuru nods awkwardly. "Uhm… Yeah... Mmhhmm."

"Ok well… I… Goodnight." Natsuki went out of the car. "Drive safe."

* * *

Dr. Akagi can be seen driving a black sedan in a remote road after departing. A phone in her back seat started ringing and when the car turns, there was a huge explosion.

* * *

_The morning after…._

Knock… knock…

"Come in." Natsuki's sitting in her bed, fixing her tie.

"Natsuki have you seen this?" Mai handed her the morning paper.

"What?" she asked as she took the newspaper.

An article says: **GAME DEVELOPER DIED IN A ROBBERY.** ,with a picture of Nao.

"Did you know that Nao is dead?" Mai asked.

"No…" Natsuki murmured as she return the newspaper and walk towards her closet. "I didn't."

"Are you ok?"

"I don't know Mai. I… It's crazy you know. I spend so much time hating her for getting me kicked out of FIT and I… I don't know how to feel about it but I guess it's hard to be mad at her now." She gave Mai a weak smile.

"I'm very sorry Natsuki." Mai then left the blunette.

* * *

_At the explosion site…_

The two agents along with crime scene investigators searched the bombing site.

Shizuru searched the doctor's car, while Haruka searched the surrounding area.

The brunette found a charred phone in the wreckage and quickly put it in her jacket's pocket without informing the blonde, but unknown to her, Haruka saw her.

"Well, no signs of anything here." She informed Haruka.

"Looks like were going to send the good doctor in an ashtray." Haruka said looking at the brunette.

"Ok." Shizuru smiled. "Need to go. I've got hotdogs to fry."

"And I've got toasters to sell." Haruka replied.

Shizuru then left the scene leaving the blonde behind.

"Yes, Armitage here. I'm at the scene." Haruka, looking at the leaving brunette, is on the phone with Gen. Graceburt on the other line.

**_'Any signs of Dr. Akagi?'_**

"No signs of the doctor's body, probably vaporized. Guess our secrets' staying in Kuga's head."

**_'Do you have any idea who did this?'_**

"Looks like a CIA job to me."

**_'Keep an eye on Agent Fujino and don't let Natsuki out of your sight. She could be next.'_**

* * *

_Back at Otome's…_

Haruka went to Natsuki who was talking to Chie.

"You can't trust her." She whispered to the blunette's ear.

Natsuki looked at the blonde agent with a puzzled expression.

"Kuga. Armitage." Mr. Casey approached them as he took a bite of his donut.

"Mr. Casey." They replied at the same time.

"How's customer service training?" the manager asked.

"Super." Natsuki replied.

"Good. The better my employees the less I have to work." Mr. Casey then took a sip of his coffee.

"Very inspiring words sir." Natsuki said.

"Well, go make her better then." Mr. Casey said looking sternly at the blunette. "I got to nap in an hour."

"Right away sir." Natsuki then lead the blonde away.

"Good bye." Mr. Casey said to the other Greenshirt who was left behind and turns around.

"Hai!" Chie said and did a mock salute.

* * *

_At the G-Force counter…_

"This is a handheld scanner." Natsuki showed the scanner to Haruka. "It's a very expensive type of equipment." She made a quick glance to her left where Mr. Casey was observing them.

"So is a stealth fighter jet but somehow I manage to fly that." Haruka deadpanned.

"Ok…" Natsuki said awkwardly. "The gun works like a-"

"Gun?" Haruka asked in a bored tone.

"Yes! Works like a gun." Natsuki took an item in a nearby stall and scanned it. A beeping sound can be heard. "And it beeps when you scan a barcode." She explained to the blonde.

"Well if it's that easy I'll be right at home." The blonde saw Mr. Casey leaving as Natsuki hands her the scanner. "Listen." Haruka whispered as she use the scanner to lift Natsuki's chin. "No more secret meetings with Shizuru."

"Why? Is there a problem?" Natsuki gulped.

"There is no problem, only solutions." Haruka said with a smile as she puts down the scanner.

"Wow, that's like the Otome's customer service policy that I've noticed you have some issues with." Natsuki said sarcastically.

Haruka smirked.

A message from Shizuru that pops up from a G-Force laptop caught Natsuki's eye. **_'Need to talk. Meet me at Issei's. NOW! '_**

"And you know what we're gonna do about that, we're gonna do some role play to help change that attitude of yours." She told the blonde as she quickly and discreetly closes the laptop. She sees Chie approaching them. "Hey Chie!"

"Yo." Chie answered leaning on the counter.

"You and Haruka's going to reenact some customer service scenarios. You're gonna act as the customer while Haruka here will act as the sale's personnel." She said patting the blonde's right shoulder. "And I'll go and talk to Mr. Casey because I know that he's got some other things in store." Natsuki said as she slipped out to meet Shizuru.

* * *

_At Issei's Wiener…_

A group of young boys is staring at Shizuru while she works. She has her back on them and is currently bent down to get some ketchup.

"There you go." She said smiling as she hands them their take out order.

When Natsuki comes in, the boys immediately took their leave.

"Natsuki, no more secret meetings with Haruka." The brunette agent told Natsuki as soon as the blunette's at the counter.

"What is wrong with you two?" Natsuki crossed her arms.

"Figures. Did she tell you the same thing?"

Natsuki nods. "Wait, is there something wrong?"

"The doctor from last night died in an explosion soon after she left us." Shizuru informed the blunette.

"What?! The doctor who was supposed to fix me?" asked the shocked blunette.

Shizuru then showed Natsuki a charred phone inside a ziplock. "Tell me what this is."

Natsuki took the phone and examined it. "It's a nasty looking…" and then a flash. "NSA Incinerator specially designed to eliminate any signs of biological traces." She said, dropping the phone. "That's what killed the doctor."

"And guess who works for the NSA."

"Haruka!" Natsuki exclaimed. "W-why would she do that?" she asked in a low voice.

"I don't know. Maybe it was orders. Maybe she didn't like how Dr. Akagi looked at her." Shizuru said to the alarmed blunette. "She's a killer Natsuki. It's what she does for a living. She tried to kill us once and she'll probably do it again."

"Oh that's nice Shizuru. Very nice." Natsuki tittered. "What am I suppose to do?!"

"You go back in there and pretend that you know nothing." Shizuru said sternly. "You're good at that. You can do it Natsuki." She smiled at the nervous blunette.

"Ok, I can do that. I know nothing. I know nothing." Chanted the nervous blunette as she leaves.

* * *

_Back at Otome's…_

Natsuki walk towards Chie and Haruka who are still doing their role play. They're at the records section of the store where Chie is acting like a customer looking for a cd.

"Ok. Let's try that one more time." Chie said to Haruka. "Do you have Monkey Majik?"

"No."

"No, don't say no. That's not going to work." Chie told the blonde. "Ok, excuse me Haruka." She said while poking the blonde's name tag. "Do you have any Monkey Majik? Monkey Majik blondie." The bespectacled woman asked, acting like a troublesome and difficult client. "Don't say you don't have it." She informed Haruka.

"Haruka, the correct response is, 'Can we order you Monkey Majik?'" Natsuki cuts in and tapped the blonde's shoulder.

"Hey blondie, do you have Monkey Majik? You know, Monkey Majik. Do you? Do you?" Chie once again poked Haruka's tag.

The action irritated the blonde agent. She growled at Chie and then knocks her off.

"Ouch!" Chie said. "No Monkey Majik then."

"Ok, I don't think that's in Otome's manual." Natsuki said looking at the fallen Greenshirt.

Haruka hastily grabbed Natsuki by the tie. "What did Shizuru told you? I know you talked to her. It's what I do for a living." Haruka whispered angrily.

Natsuki only looked at the angry blonde and didn't utter a word. Haruka then roughly let go of her tie and left.

* * *

_At Issei's Wiener…_

"Here you go." Shizuru said to a customer.

"Thank you." The customer said after grabbing his order. "I love you!" the customer told the brunette as he was leaving and accidentally bumped at the incoming blonde.

The blonde agent growled at the said customer who rushed out immediately.

"What did you tell Natsuki?" Haruka asked once they were alone.

"That you're a cold blooded killer. Was I lying?" Shizuru replied with a stoic expression and turns her back. She picks a stick at the kitchen counter.

"No." Haruka answered. "I figured that the only people who knew that the doctor was coming are here." Her right hand reached for a gun hidden behind her back. "You're under arrest."

Shizuru quickly threw the stick at Haruka's hand before the latter could aim the gun at her.

"Urgh." Haruka grunted as she looked at her hand. Shizuru leaped from the counter and threw two more sticks towards the blonde, but the latter reacted fast and use a nearby tray as a shield. Seizing the opportunity, the brunette agent delivered a powerful kick to Haruka who was thrown back to the condiments table.

Haruka, using her other hand, pick one disposable fork that was placed at the table and used it to stab the incoming brunette. Shizuru quickly dodge the attack and elbowed the blonde's arm, disarming her. The brunette was about to punch Haruka but the blonde agent was able to grab hold of Shizuru's hand before the punch could land. Haruka then pulled Shizuru's hand, making the latter lean towards her, and kneed the brunette in the stomach and then roughly shoved her to a nearby table.

After being shoved, Shizuru kicked Haruka who plummeted to the floor. The brunette quickly rushed towards a floor mop and breaks its handle in half. She took the upper part of the handle as a weapon and used it to strike the rising the blonde. Haruka sees the incoming attack and ducks her way out it.

Haruka took a nearby chair and used it as a shield to fend off the attacks. She was able to land a kick to Shizuru who was once again tossed at a table. Haruka rushed to the bent over brunette and used the chair to attack the other agent. Luckily, Shizuru was able to evade it and the chair smashed right at the table. Haruka once again tried to smash the chair at the brunette but the latter was able to once again evade the attack.

"Grrr." The blonde rumbled. Haruka, for the third time, attempted the same attack against the other agent but this time the brunette was able to knock the chair off from the blonde's hold. Shizuru successfully landed a jab at the other agent and connected a powerful kick to Haruka's stomach which sends her flying over the counter.

Shizuru then leaped atop the counter and crouched as she punched the rising blonde. The brunette agent was about to deliver another punch when a group of fanboys enter.

"Cool." One of the fanboys commented. "Hurry, take a pic." He said to one of his companions. The said companion fished out his phone and took a picture of the distracted brunette, who was still crouching atop the counter while in a fighting stance. Taking the chance, the blonde agent hurriedly escapes out thru the back door. After taking the picture, the fanboys hurriedly left, leaving behind a distraught agent.

* * *

_At the G-Force counter…_

"Ahem. Natsuki." Takeda pats Natsuki who was sitting and deep in thoughts.

"Ah yeah, Takeda." She said snapping out of trance and looked at him.

"Code Panda. Linux install at 123 Sakura." Takeda handed Natsuki some papers.

"Why can't you and Yuiichi go?" she said as she took the papers.

Takeda laughed. "Are you kidding Natsuki? Me and Yuiichi? Linux computer? We're Mac guys remember."

"So?"

"So… we don't touch any computer other than Mac. We're IT artist. Right Yuiichi?" he said nodding at the blonde beside Natsuki.

"Yes indeed we are." He and Takeda smirked at Natsuki.

Natsuki sighed. "Ok. Whatever. Just tell Haruka that I'm on my cell." She told Takeda as she stood up.

"You tell her yourself." Takeda murmured.

"I'm sorry, what was that Takeda?" Natsuki asked, looking back at Takeda.

"N-nothing. Uhm, would you like me to tell Haruka now?"

"Thought I heard you said something."

* * *

Natsuki was driving around when a black SUV bumps in her G-car.

"What the-" her phone started ringing. "Yes hello."

**_'Pull over.' _**Haruka said on the other line.

"Well I can't. I have a home install at-"

**_'123 Sakura?'_**

"How did you-"she glance back and saw Haruka on the driver seat of the SUV. Realization suddenly hits her."Oh my god! It was you! You killed the doctor and now you're here to kill me!"

She steps on the accelerator and drives off but the black SUV followed close behind her. As she was about to make a turn, Haruka crashed into her. The G-car spin out of control making it stop in the process.

"Are you crazy?!" Natsuki yelled at Haruka the moment she steps out of the car. "Wha-what… what happened to you?" she said nervously when she saw Haruka menacingly walks towards her. She steps back a little and made her way to the other side of the car.

"Your girlfriend happen." Haruka said. Her right hand has bandage, while her face is adorned with a bruise and several small cuts.

"What about Shizuru?"

"She's rogue Natsuki. She killed the doctor and she tried to kill me." Haruka steps closer to Natsuki.

"Is she ok?"

"I'm fine thank you." Haruka answered in a sarcastic tone.

"Wait. Why should I believe you? She showed me the bomb. She said you did it." Natsuki steps back.

"Heh." Haruka smirked. "NSA incinerator right? It's a nice explosive. Easily purchased at the black market."

Natsuki looked puzzled.

"What do you know about Shizuru? Think about it Natsuki." Haruka asked the troubled blunette. "She's CIA. She worked with Nao who was a rogue spy and maybe she is too."

Natsuki pondered about it for a moment.

"She found you in Fuuka but she couldn't grab you because I was around. She has to wait her chance but Dr. Akagi screw that up. The doctor could pull the secrets out of your head and then, the mission's over. Shizuru could loose Duran so she had to act fast-"

Haruka was interrupted when Natsuki's phone rings. The id shows that it is Shizuru.

"What should I do?" Natsuki showed Haruka her phone.

The blonde agent took the phone, turned it off and shoved it back to Natsuki. "Let's go." Haruka leads Natsuki to her SUV.

Ring… ring…

"Thought I turned that off." Haruka said as she fastens her seatbelt.

"Well that's not mine." Natsuki replied. "Is it yours?"

"Not mine either."

They both looked at the back seat and saw a phone ringing.

"NSA incinerator!" Natsuki exclaimed and they both dashed out of the car. "Gah! Haruka!" Natsuki said in between breathes as she run towards the blonde.

They both sighed in relief when the car didn't blow up or so they thought. A second passed and then an explosion.

"Waah!" Natsuki and the agent were thrown to the ground at the impact.

* * *

"Do you believe me now?" Haruka stood up and helped Natsuki to her feet.

"Wh-why would Shizuru do this?" she said looking at the wreckage.

"She's cleaning the house." The agent replied.

"Cleaning?"

"Eliminating all those she came in contact with." Haruka answered. "Do you know where she is?"

* * *

Ding… dong…

"Coming!" Mai called as she places a dish at the table.

She opened the door and a smiling Shizuru greets her.

* * *

**A/N**

**Flash – **the state where Natsuki receives a feedback from DURAN.

**Music Reference:**

**Monkey Majik - **One of my favorite Jband. Awesome band. FYI,they're the one's who sang the 1st and 2nd OP of Nurahihyon no Mago (hope I spelled it right) anime. Japanese and English combined is soo… waahh..XD Try to listen to some of their songs. Here's some recommendation: Aishiteru, and Open Happiness.

**Anime Character Reference:**

**Dr. Ritsuko Akagi – **she's a character from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. She's NERV's chief scientist and is in command of the Technical branch of NERV HQ. Have you seen it? A good watch. Classic. Mind boggling. Mechas. And of course those Plugsuits. *^*

** recondite123: **thanks. It's good to know that I've improved. I don't really think that I did though, but you having said it, waah...made me happy …XD

** aria sun: **oh for the life of my laptop, I haven't checked if it's a virus or not… thanks for reading. god bless CHUCK. Miss that nerd. Hope this chapter didn't disappoint though.^^

** Guest #1: **Haruka's more like a scary sales personnel. Shoplifters dare not to cross paths with her or they're dead.

**Leeyou: **lol..made me imagine you drooling on your ipad. Good to know that you're lovin' it. hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Thanks for the compliment and for reading. ;3

** xxxbluewolf: **yay! A new reader! thanks for taking your time reading it. Hope you will continue reading it. =3 haha… those memes and Haruka's troll face.

**noah114: **shiznat FTW, but like I said in my pm, a little spice wouldn't hurt…I do hope you'll continue reading the fict. Thanks. =3

** Guess #2: **nice to know that you liked it. =) thanks for reading.

** shiznat13: **well, Shizuru knew Nao…to before Natsuki. Sorry for that.^^ I know that feel, Shizuru being in a relationship other than Natsuki, I don't know, s*cks I guess.^^ thanks for reading.

**_Chapter 4 teaser: _**

**_Souffles, quiches and a sweaty Shizuru. Hmmm…_**


	5. Chapter 4: Natsuki vs the Chopper part 2

**Quick A/N:**

Eek… That feeling when you're done editing and just when you are about to save it, there's a blackout. Damn. Thank heavens for auto-save.

As always, enjoy and excuse my mistakes. Oh, and do leave a review if you have time. **( ' ◊ ' ) /**

* * *

Chapter 4: Natsuki vs the Chopper part 2

"_I'd rather **TRUST **and **REGRET **than **DOUBT **and **REGRET.**" -_Kirito (SAO)

"You're nervous cooking babe. Relax." Reito massaged Mai's shoulders and placed a kiss on the redhead's neck.

Mai sighed. "I know. It's just that… You don't know Natsuki. She gets nervous around a girl she likes."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Reito smiled at her as he puts his arm around Mai's waist.

Ding… dong…

"I'll get it." Reito let go of Mai and went to open the door. "Hello guys. Welcome." He beamed their guests his trademark smile and gestured them inside.

"Hmmm…" Yuiichi, wearing a blue superman shirt and cargo pants, sniffs the air. "Smells nice. Pot roast?" he asked looking at Reito.

"Yes." Reito replied.

"Nice!" The blonde exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Mai asked when he saw the blonde.

"I'm here for the house warming party." Yuiichi answered as he shrugged his shoulders.

Mai's eyebrow twitched. "Babe, it's ok." Reito kissed Mai's cheek to calm the fuming redhead.

"Yeah Mai, its ok. The more the merrier remember." Chie smirked at Mai. Chie and Aoi are dressed in a Domo couple Shirt.

"Sorry for intruding." Aoi said, once inside.

"Hey Mai, don't mind if I join right?" Takeda, wearing a pink statement t-shirt, asked.

"Oh well." Mai sighed. "Welcome. Make yourselves comfortable." She made her way back to the kitchen.

"I'll help you Mai." Aoi joined the redhead with Chie following behind.

Takeda and Yuiichi settled themselves at the couch.

"Mind if I turn on the tv?" Yuiichi asked Reito who sits with them.

"Sure go ahead."

Yuiichi turned on the TV and surfed thru the channel.

"Nice shirt." Reito said to Takeda.

"I know." Takeda said, grinning. He's wearing a statement shirt that says, TOUGH MEN WEAR PINK.

* * *

"Guys, can you help me make the table?" Mai asked the couple besides her.

"Sure thing." Chie replied.

The couple fixed the table while Mai wash some dishes.

"Candles? Really?" Asked Chie as she place a couple of candles in the table.

"Of course." Mai replied smiling. "Want to make an expression." She wiped her hands with a towel. "This dinner is important."

"Oh well." Chie said. Aoi then place the wine glasses on the table.

"Do you know where Natsuki is?" Mai asked as she joins the couple.

"Not really." Chie replied. "Ask one of the geeks." Aoi chuckled at Chie's statement.

"Takeda, do you know where Natsuki is?" Mai called for Takeda who was laughing.

"Man, that was funny." Takeda and the other guys were watching a Japanese game show. "Natsuki had some home install." He replied, looking at the redhead's direction.

"Ok. Thanks." Mai replied.

Ding… Dong…

"I'll get it." Mai said particularly to no one as she places a dish on the table. "Coming!"

She opened the door and a smiling brunette greets her.

"Good evening." Shizuru greets Mai.

"Good evening to you too. You must be Shizuru. Come in." She smiled at the brunette.

* * *

_Back at the explosion site…_

"Do you know where she is?" Haruka asked.

"Oh no." Natsuki said. "We have to go back. She's having dinner with us tonight."

"No we can't. You're coming with me to Tokyo." Haruka responded.

"But Mai!" Natsuki exclaimed, panic evident in her voice.

"Doesn't have a super computer in her head." Haruka told the panicking blunette. "You're the priority." Haruka took out her phone and dialed a number. "This is Armitage. Patch me thru to Gen. Graceburt." She said as she turns her back.

The blonde agent was too preoccupied in her conversation that she failed to notice Natsuki who was slowly retreating back to the G-car.

"Hey!" Haruka called once she noticed Natsuki. She chases the blunette who hurriedly dash towards her car and quickly closed the door before the agent could grab it.

Natsuki steps on the accelerator and sped away leaving an enraged agent behind.

* * *

Once at the compound, Natsuki sprinted to their apartment and hastily opened their door surprising everyone inside.

"Mai!" she called. Mai, along with their guests are gathered at the dining table.

"Natsuki." Shizuru said smiling while she stood up from her seat to approach the blunette.

"Hello Shizuru. Happy to see me?" Natsuki replied sarcastically as she scrunched up her face.

"Huh?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Where's Haruka?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's having some **CAR** trouble."

Shizuru looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Natsuki." Mai finally greeted Natsuki. "You're late and dirty." Mai raised an eyebrow on Natsuki's current state.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Something happened along the way." She sheepishly scratches her cheek.

"Your girlfriend's been here early." Mai smiled at Shizuru who smiled back at her. "And she's nothing but mean to me."

"Really? Haha… Well, watch out for her." Natsuki awkwardly smiled at Mai and once again scrunched up her face at Shizuru. She side-stepped her way to the dinning table, avoiding the other agent.

"You know what guys, I have an idea. Why don't we go out for dinner? You know, in a very **PUBLIC **place. With **LOTS** and **LOTS** of people." She said this as she glances back at Shizuru. "My treat, I promise! You can order anything you want. Eat all you can."

"Uhm… Natsuki… I have been cooking for hours!" Mai looked at her. "And you want us to eat outside?" Mai crossed her arms.

"Come on Captain. We're starving here. And its Mai's pot roast! I want to have a taste!" Yuiichi joined in.

Natsuki sighed in defeat. "Ok then. Let's eat." _Oh my god! I just wish nothing bad happens._

* * *

"Ok Shizuru, let's turn it up a notch. A personal question." Reito said. "Tell us something about yourself."

"Well, I'm originally from Tokyo and I just moved here a few weeks ago." She replied with a smile.

"Oh, I know someone from Tokyo. Forgot the name though. Who was that again babe?" Reito asked Mai who was sitting besides him.

"It was Natsuki's friend. Nao Yuuki." Mai replied.

"Oh I know her too. Not personally though. Natsuki told me about her." Chie joined in. "She was Natsuki's **FORMER **friend. She stole Natsuki's girl way back in her FIT days. Such a jerk. It's a good thing she's dead though."

Shizuru looked at Natsuki who was loosening her tie and smiling awkwardly.

Aoi nudge Chie. "Ouch!" Chie looked at her girlfriend who was sitting besides her.

_Shut up! _Aoi mouthed and gestured for Chie to look at Natsuki.

"Geez ok." Chie whispered massaging her side. "Sorry about that Natsuki."

Natsuki gave her a weak smile.

"I just don't know why someone would choose Nao over Natsuki." Mai heave a sigh.

Ding…dong…

"I'll get it." Natsuki opened the door and was surprise to see Haruka.

"Haruka! Come in. Come in." She puts an arm around Haruka once the agent's inside. "Mai, Reito. I want you to meet Haruka. You know her, right guys?" She looks at her workmates. Her workmates nodded their heads but Chie looked the other way and snorted. Apparently, she's still angry at the blonde because of what had happened earlier.

Natsuki looked at Mai. "She also works in Otome and is a very good friend of mine. I invited her. The more the merrier. Right buddy?" she smiled at the blonde besides her.

Haruka smiled at her and whispered. "Run from me again, and I'll shoot you."

Natsuki couldn't help but titter. She immediately removes her arms around the blonde. "Of course, of course. You are such a killer." She playfully punches Haruka's shoulder.

Shizuru, on the other hand, was quietly observing their interaction.

"Nice to meet you Haruka. I'm Mai and this is Reito." Mai greeted.

Reito smiled at the blonde.

"Nice to meet you too." Haruka bowed. "I actually live next door. Oh yeah, I brought some quiches. Here's something for your house warming." Haruka gave Mai her quiches.

"Well thank you." Mai accepted the gift. "Natsuki, we need another chair."

"Ok." Natsuki excused herself and went to get a spare chair in her bedroom.

"You know what, since I'm crashing, maybe I should get it." The blonde agent said and followed Natsuki.

* * *

Natsuki was already holding the chair when Haruka showed up.

Natsuki let out a surprise yelp.

"Guess what. NSA did a check on Fujino." The blonde agent said, leaning towards Natsuki. "Does Sarah Walker ring a bell?" she asked.

Upon hearing the name, Natsuki flashed. Images of Shizuru's American passport under the name of Sarah Walker, her dinning with several people and them ending up being dead appeared before her.

"Oh no…" Natsuki said after the flash.

"Oh yes. She poised as an American Journalist and killed those American diplomats. And you know what she used to kill them?"

Natsuki looked at the blonde. "Poison." She answered. "They we're poisoned during dinner!"

Haruka nods her head. "You got that right."

"What's taking you guys so long?" Mai followed them.

"Sorry about that." Haruka replied. She took the chair from the blunette, gave Mai a smile and left but not before giving Natsuki a warning glance.

Natsuki was about to follow the blonde but she was stopped by Mai.

"Oh my god Natsuki. I always knew you had it in you. Shizuru is so gorgeous!" Mai said giggling.

Natsuki gave her a weak smile. "I know." She said in a somewhat nervous tone.

"I think she's the one. She's soo sweet! She even baked soufflé for us. It looks delicious." Mai said.

"Yay! Desserts." Natsuki chuckled nervously.

Mai puts her hand on Natsuki's shoulder. "Ok, just relax. You don't have to be nervous about this. Let's go." Mai said, leaving the blunette.

"Desserts. Poison. Not good." Natsuki gulped. "Ok, don't freak out." She told herself.

* * *

When Natsuki got to the dinning room, Reito was about to eat the soufflé.

"Wait!" Natsuki exclaimed, looking at Reito who stopped midway. "Since we haven't done the toast, how about we do it now?" she said as she picks up her glass.

The others looked at her with a puzzled expression but did what the blunette said.

They all filled their glass and raised it.

"Ok, let me start. A toast to Mai's wonderful and delicious meal." She said smiling at Mai who smiled back at her. As her friends were about to take a sip, she continued. " Also! A toast to Reito's pearly white teeth and charming toothpaste smile."

Reito beamed her his toothpaste smile. "Thank you Natsuki."

"You're welcome." She replied. "Also a toast to Aoi and Chie's exhilarating relationship."

Aoi blushed while Chie winked at Natsuki.

"Also, a toast to Shizuru's… " she narrowed her eyes as she look at Shizuru. "Dessert." She then looks at Haruka who nods her head in understanding and look at the said dessert. "Also, a toast to my good friend Haruka's quiches that are equally as great."

Haruka grunts at Natsuki while Shizuru looks at them with a frown.

"Hey, what about us Captain?" Yuiichi asked.

"And lastly, a toast to Takeda's manly shirt and Yuiichi's comic timing."

The two idiots nod their heads.

"See, I told you it was manly. The captain says so." Takeda whispered to Yuiichi who chuckled.

"Cheers!" everyone chorused and sips their wine.

"You know what, now that we're done with the toast, I would definitely want to have a taste of that soufflé. It looks soo delicious." Mai said eyeing the dessert.

"Me too babe." Reito said. "Let's dig in!"

When Reito was about to dig in, Natsuki once again stop him. "Wait! Anyone wants to see some magic? I know a trick."

"Oh I do!" Yuiichi said.

"Me too!" Takeda raised his hand.

"Natsuki, what are you doing?" Shizuru asked, smiling sweetly at her.

Natsuki ignored her as she grabbed the edges of the tablecloth which made the others back away a little from the table.

"Natsuki!" Mai exclalimed.

"This is gonna be fun." Chie whispered to Aoi who chuckled.

"Ok, here it goes." Natsuki said before pulling the cloth. "Voila!" she was expecting to see a mess of dishes after pulling the cloth but to her dismay, she was able to execute the trick perfectly. "What the… How did I freaking do that?" she murmured.

"Wow…" Reito said in awe. "That was awesome Natsuki!" he added.

The two idiots and the other couple along with Mai were clapping.

"That was really awesome Captain." Yuiichi said. "I know you can do it!"

Haruka noticed that one of the candle holders was wobbling. She nudges the table with her knee, knocking down the candle in the process which landed straight to the soufflé bringing it to flames.

"Flambé!" Haruka said. "Anyone?"

Upon seeing this, Natsuki quickly grab the nearby potholders and pick up the flaming soufflé.

"Hot. Hot. Hot." She said as she went straight to the bathroom. She then dropped the soufflé in the tub and opened the faucet.

The rest of the gang followed Natsuki inside the bathroom.

"Natsuki, what are you doing?!" Mai said in horror when she saw Natsuki stompped on the soufflé to put off the fire. "I know you're stressed and all but it's never nice to murder a woman's soufflé!"

She stomps at the soufflé for the last time before looking at Mai. "I… I…" she then glance at Shizuru who was looking coldly at her. Natsuki shivered.

"You know what…" Shizuru said, smiling as she turns to Mai. "Let me talk to her."

"Ok." Mai replied. "Let's go." Mai said to the others who followed her.

Shizuru once again looked at Natsuki with narrowed eyes and unreadable expression.

Natsuki felt another chill run down her spine and she couldn't help but once again shiver. She looked at Haruka who was giving her a warning look.

_You're soo dead. _Chie mouthed to the already panicking blunette.

"I… I think I should go with them." Natsuki stuttered.

Shizuru immediately closed the door and locked it before Natsuki could follow. She then hastily grabbed the blunette in the arm and roughly shoved her to the door.

A banging noise can be heard outside.

"Ohh… make-up sex." Chie whistled. "Nice."

"I think we should head back now. It was a wonderful dinner Mai." Aoi said all of a sudden, feeling the awkward atmosphere.

"But-" Chie protested which earned her a glare from her girlfriend. _Ok fine! _ She mouthed. "We should get going now. Thank you for the meal Mai." Chie said bowing.

"You're welcome guys." Mai replied, a bit disappointed.

"I think we should go too. It was a wonderful dinner but Natsu-" Mai looked daggers and raised an eyebrow at Yuiichi before he could even finish. "You know what… I'll take this and put it in a doggie bag." Yuiichi smiled at Mai while taking the quiches. "Let's go." Yuiichi whispered to Takeda.

"Thanks for the dinner Mai!" Takeda shouted after being dragged in the arms by Yuiichi.

Haruka, on the other hand, stayed behind and continued eating her dinner.

* * *

_Meanwhile at the bathroom…_

"Tell me exactly what Haruka said." Shizuru hissed as she harshly hold Natsuki's chin making the latter bang her head at the door.

"Aww… She said… she said that everything's ok."

Shizuru then grab Natsuki's arm and shove her near the tub. She then roughly turn Natsuki, twisting the blunette's arm in the process.

"Gah… aww…" Natsuki grimace in pain as she massages her twisted shoulder with her free hand.

"What did she tell you?" Shizuru asked angrily.

"That you killed Dr. Akagi and poisoned a group of American Diplomats." She gasped in pain.

"They're blaming me for Akagi?!" Shizuru exclaimed while tightening her hold at Natsuki's arm.

"Ah…" Natsuki gasped in pain. "If you're trying to prove a point by hurting me, I want you to know that I have a very low threshold for pain."

"And you believe Haruka?" Shizuru asked in disbelief.

Natsuki once again gasped. "Tell me about the American Diplomats..."

"They we're American assassins and they were after me but I got to them first." Shizuru answered. "And you know what, I'm glad that I did."

Natsuki's face contorted in pain from Shizuru's firm hold.

"Natsuki, do you honestly believe that my real name is Shizuru? I didn't ask you to believe me, I asked you to **TRUST **me." She told the blunette, disappointment evident in her voice. "This doesn't make sense. If Haruka didn't kill the doctor then…" Shizuru suddenly let go of Natsuki's arm.

"W-what are you doing?" Natsuki, surprised by the sudden action, asked nervously without turning to face the agent.

"I have to go. Right now." Shizuru said leaving Natsuki behind.

* * *

"I'm sorry Mai but I have to go." Shizuru said grabbing her purse and jacket. "It was a wonderful evening." She bowed and smiled at Mai who return the gesture; and left.

"Got to go! See you later." Natsuki said following the leaving agent.

Haruka stood up and also thanked Mai for the meal and followed suit.

"Well, that went well." Mai sighed for the nth time that night.

* * *

"Shizuru wait!" Natsuki called out.

"You!" Shizuru points at Natsuki. "Stay inside. Do not follow me. Do what I say."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Haruka grabbed Natsuki's arm before she could follow Shizuru.

"Do you think we were wrong?" Natsuki asked, looking at the blonde agent.

"Haruka!" they heard Shizuru called.

They hurriedly went to the other agent and saw her being tossed inside the back of a car.

"Hey you, stop!" Haruka pointed her gun at the assailant who ignored her warning.

The assailant stops before opening the car's door and faced them.

"Dr. Akagi?" Haruka lowered her gun.

"Nice to see you again Agent Armitage." She said smiling. She pointed a tranq gun at the blonde agent and pulled the trigger.

"Urgh!" Haruka uttered after being shot at the arm by the doctor who sped away immediately. "Yup…" she looks at Natsuki. "We we're wrong."

Natsuki hold the falling blonde. "That was Dr. Akagi. It means that she's not dead, right?" Natsuki said, struggling to keep hold of the blonde. "And she kidnapped Shizuru, right?"

"Great deduction Detective Conan." Haruka said sarcastically.

Natsuki placed Haruka in the ground and made her sit.

"Pull out the needle." Haruka commanded.

"I want you to know that I have a very strong aversion to needles." Natsuki looked at the blonde with a grim expression.

"Just pull out the needle goddammit, or I'll pull your head off!" Haruka barked.

"O-ok!" Natsuki gulped before pulling out the needle. "Gah!" she quickly threw the needle away. "We're going to save Shizuru right?"

"Yeah… yeah…" Haruka replied with a bored tone.

"Hey! It's our fault that she got kidnapped in the first place!"

"I know. I know. You don't have to shout." Haruka replied. "Help me up will ya."

Natsuki helped Haruka to her feet. "Where are we going?"

"Seriously, nothing gets by you." Haruka shakes her head. "Let's go to your car."

Once inside the car, Haruka pushed some buttons.

"I put microbots in my quiches. We can trace her location with its signal. Let's just hope she ate some." Haruka said.

"What?! Are you kidding? I mean, seriously? You bugged your quiches? Who in their right mind would do that?" Natsuki asked in disbelief.

"I don't kid when it comes to my quiches." Haruka look at her sternly. "We can trace it's location with the GPS in your car."

"I don't have a GPS. It comes with the sport package. Surely mine is not." Natsuki replied.

"Shut up will you. We've upgraded your car when it's being fixed at the workshop." After a few seconds, a GPS monitor appeared.

"Now, there!" Haruka pointed at the red dot on the GPS monitor and look at Natsuki. "What are you waiting for dumbass! Go! Drive!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Natsuki whispered to Haruka besides her who was limping.

"Yes. This is where the signal is." Haruka replied as they stealthy made their way inside Otome.

Natsuki was walking ahead of the blonde agent when Haruka loses her balance and trip. "Damn, I hate those tranq guns." She grunted, standing up.

Suddenly, a scream coming from the home theater room is heard throughout the store.

"Oh god!" Natsuki gasped.

Haruka motioned for Natsuki to get behind her back as they quietly made their way to the home theater room.

As they get closer, the screams are getting louder. Haruka readied her gun as they peek behind the curtain.

"The idiots ate the quiches!" Haruka murmured. "Darn it. Let's go."

"Hey Yuiichi, did you hear that?" Takeda asked, glancing back and saw nothing.

The two geeks were watching some horror movie.

"Hear what?" Yuiichi replied as he took a mouthful of quiche.

"Nothing. Never mind. I just though I heard something."

Yuiichi shrugged his shoulder. "Ok."

* * *

**Natsuki's POV**

"I got nothing." Haruka said after expanding her search using the GPS.

"What are we gonna do?" I ask Haruka as we continue to drive around Fuuka to look for any signs of Shizuru and Dr. Akagi.

"We can't do anything. We just have to wait and see if she'll survive." She replied.

"Survive what?" I stop driving.

"Torture." Haruka answered too quickly for my comfort.

"T-torture! W-why would they torture her?!" I'm all pale by now.

"They're gonna torture her till they get information about Duran and about you."

My eyes widen. "No. No. No! We have to save her!" This is all my fault! If I just trusted her, this would never have happened in the first place.

"As much as you like to save her, we don't have any leads on where she is." Haruka replied calmly.

"Ok, if you were Dr. Akagi, what would you do? Where would you take her?"

"I'll take her to the closest small airfield that I could find and then use a chopper to fly her."

I am beginning to think that Haruka's some kind of a sinister bad guy in her past life. "O-ok. So why don't you do a satellite search using the car's tracker and look for the nearest airfield around the area…." I propose and look at Haruka who is looking intently at me. "Uhm… and then maybe you can limit that if there are any activities in the ground?" My voice trailing off. I ready myself for some retort or so I thought.

"Hmm… that's not a bad idea. Great thinking idiot." She said as she once again begun her search.

"Thanks, well not for the idiot part. You know, I was just… well… kinda…" I splutter. "That's all me and no Duran at all." Haruka looks at me and shakes her head. "What?! I'm just saying, you know." Ok, I know I am boasting, but I just can't help it.

"Yeah… yeah." Haruka replied. "There. Found it." She said pointing at a red dot in the monitor. "Port of Fuuka. Hurry. Step on it!"

"I'm on it!" I reply as I step on the accelerator.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Once at the port, they parked the G-car at a secluded area. They saw a small chopper surrounded by a couple armed men.

"Here's the plan. I'll go there and rescue Fujino; catch Dr. Akagi, and then shoot all those who get in my way." Haruka told Natsuki as she cocks her gun.

"Ok, understood. So what do I do?"

"You, stay in the car." She replied.

"So… In this plan I basically do nothing?"

Haruka nods her head.

"Ok, I got it." Natsuki replied in a serious tone. "Let's do this." She said as she fastens her seatbelt.

Haruka exits the car and made her way inside one of the warehouse.

After a few seconds, Natsuki saw Dr. Akagi leaving one of the warehouses.

"Stay in the car. Stay in the car." Natsuki chanted as she glances back and forth at the warehouse. "Do not leave the car." She tightens her grip at her seatbelt.

In the end, her curiosity gets the better of her. "Waah… I can' take it. Screw this!" She exclaimed as she unfastens her seatbelt and left the car.

* * *

Shizuru woke up with the sight of Dr. Akagi standing in front of her.

"I see you're awake now Agent Fujino." The doctor greeted the brunette who was gagged and whose hands were bound by a chain in a pole hanging from the ceiling.

Shizuru glared at the doctor and let out a muffled snarl as she tries to free her hands.

The doctor wiggled a finger and smiled at the struggling agent. Her phone rings and she answered it infront of Shizuru.

"Hello." She greeted. "Mmhmm… Ok… be there in a sec." the doctor answered in between pauses and hang up.

"Need to check something quick." She informed Shizuru. "Oh, and be a good girl and stay put, ok." She patted the agent's cheek and left.

* * *

Natsuki sneaked inside the warehouse as soon as the doctor was out of sight. She immediately saw a sweaty, bounded and gagged Shizuru.

"Shizuru, are you ok?" she whispers as she approach the agent.

Shizuru let out a muffled sound.

"Oh, stupid question. Sorry, my bad. Let me take this off first." Natsuki ripped off the duct tape from Shizuru's mouth.

"Natsuki, what are you doing here?!" Shizuru snarled at the blunette.

"Uhm… rescuing you?" Natsuki replied.

"You shouldn't be here. You're too valuable and besides, I can very well take care of myself." She retorted as she struggle to free herself.

Natsuki crossed her arms. "Oh, I can see that." She said in a sarcastic tone as she eyed the agent.

"Just shut up." Shizuru said. "Get me something to pick this lock."

"Ok." Natsuki looked around and saw a pile of stuff in a nearby table. "Is this ok?" she shows Shizuru a small metal stick of some sort.

"Yes, that would be fine."

As soon as Natsuki handed the object to Shizuru, they heard Dr. Akagi coming back.

"Natsuki, hide!" Shizuru murmured. "Hurry!"

"O-ok!" Natsuki scans the area for a hiding place.

"Natsuki wait!" Shizuru called.

"What? Oh yeah… forgot this." Natsuki quickly puts the tape back to Shizuru's mouth as she frantically looks for a hiding place. Once she found a good spot, she immediately hides herself the moment Dr. Akagi arrived.

"The chopper's ready." The doctor told Shizuru. "You know what, I'll give you one last chance Agent Fujino. Tell me Patient Z's identity and then I'll let you go. How's that? It's a fair trade you know." Akagi smiled at the brunette.

Shizuru didn't response.

"I'll take that as no then. Can't say I didn't try though. Anyhow, if you don't like to tell me, there are other means for you to talk." She picks up a tranquilizer with a big needle. "I'll take you to a place where I can torture you. I mean, really torture you and not like this child play of a torture." She gave the agent a sinister smile.

Natsuki let out a loud gasp as she caught sight of the needle.

"Who's there?" Akagi called out and looked around when she heard the noise. She then aims the needle at Shizuru's neck. A couple seconds passed, there was no response.

"Come out, or I'll stick this needle to Agent Fujino's neck." Dr. Akagi pressed the needle at the agent's carotid.

"W-wait!" Natsuki steps out of her hiding place. As soon as Akagi saw her, the doctor threw the tranquilizer at her direction. Luckily for Natsuki, she was able to dodge it just in time.

Natsuki immediately stood frozen in her spot once she sees Dr. Akagi up close. The top secret files of Dr. Akagi and images of her selling Japan's technology to some government officials from other countries appeared before her.

"I-I know you! I know your secret!" Natsuki blurted out after the flash. "You've been selling Japan's technologies to China and North Korea!"

"So, you're Patient Z." Akagi smiled at her. "Nice to meet you. I never thought that Duran knew my secrets. How unfortunate." She frown. " Anyway, enough of the chit chat. I'm more interested to see how much I could sell you. Imagine all the millions of yen that I could make selling a human Duran." She picks up a tranq gun. "I wonder to whom should I sell you. The Chinese? North Koreans? Russians? Hmm… Too many options." She smirks at the blunette before shooting her.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki called out before loosing her consciousness.

"Well, that went well. Don't you think Agent Fujino?" Akagi smiled sweetly at Shizuru. "Got to go. I got a Duran to sell. I hope not to see you again Agent Fujino."

Dr. Akagi then drags the unconscious blunette outside and onto the chopper. As soon as the chopper takes off, Haruka was able to find Shizuru.

Haruka tears off the duct tape from Shizuru's mouth.

"We have to hurry. Dr. Akagi has Natsuki." Shizuru informed the blonde who was busy trying to free her.

"That idiot never listens." Haruka said as she successfully freed Shizuru.

"Thanks." Shizuru said. "Let's go."

* * *

Inside the chopper, Natsuki wakes up and found out that she was not hit by the dart but instead it was her badge.

She looked around and realized that she's inside the chopper. She found the tranq gun lying beside her and picked it up.

"Put the chopper down." She said as she aims the gun at the doctor. "Or I'll shoot her." She warned the pilot.

Akagi looks back at her. "You got to be kidding me." She rolled her eyes.

"I-I am not kidding!" Natsuki exclaimed. "Just put the chopper down!" Natsuki demanded.

"The gun. It's heavy." Akagi said.

"Huh?" Natsuki asked, confused by the doctor's statement.

"I said, the gun is heavy." The doctor then tried to grab the gun from the blunette. "Give me back the gun!"

"No! I'm not giving you the gun." Natsuki retorted as she fought the doctor. She accidentally pulled the trigger and shot the pilot who was immediately knocked off.

"You shot the pilot, you idiot!" Dr. Akagi hissed as she fought Natsuki for the gun.

"I didn't mean to do that!" Natsuki answered. "Who's flying this thing?!" she tried to shove the doctor.

"No one, you stupid fool!" Akagi grunted. "You're trying to kill us both because of you're stupidity!"

The two continue to wrestle for the gun as the chopper flew out of control while the two agents could only watch from below.

"What's happening?" Haruka asked, looking up.

"I don't know." Shizuru said as she looks at the chopper. "Come on Natsuki."

Natsuki, on the other hand is trying her hardest against Dr. Akagi. "Let go of me. Get your hands off me!" She said as she struggle against the doctor. Luckily for the blunette, she was able to finally subdue the doctor by accidentally knocking her off.

She shoves the unconscious doctor aside and then move to the chopper's control seat. "Oh shit! I don't know how to freaking fly this thing!"

"Gaah…" the blunette exclaimed. "Oh god! That's a crane." She said as the chopper almost crash at a nearby crane.

"Oh my god Haruka!" Shizuru called out to the agent besides her. "I think Natsuki's trying to fly the chopper."

Haruka squinted her eyes to take a good look. "What is that idiot doing?!" Haruka hissed.

"Oh god. Oh god." Natsuki said in a panic as her phone rings. She fished out her wireless headset and answered it. "H-hello…"

**_'I told you to stay in the car, you idiot!' _**Haruka barked on the other line.

"I-I think now's not the right time to scold me Haruka." Natsuki replied. "Maybe you should tell me how to fly a chopper!"

**_'Alright.' _**Haruka said. **_'There's a collective and a cyclic control.'_**

"A-a what?" the blunette asked, dumbfolded.

**_'One is a stick, and the other one looks like an emergency break.' _**Haruka explained. **_'I want you to grab them both.'_**

"O-ok. I got them." The blunette did what she was told. "W-what's next?" she asked as she struggle to hold to the controls.

**_'Push the stick just a little bit forward while doing the same thing with the emergency brake.' _**Haruka instructed.

Once again, Natsuki did what she was told. "Oh god! It's not working!" Natsuki stated as the chopper wobbled and descended.

**_'Pull up! Pull up!' _**Haruka yelled from the other line. '**_Pull up on the emergency brake!'_**

"I-I'm trying!"

**_'Level off! Level off you idiot!'_** Haruka barked.

"I don't know how! I don't know how to level off!" Natsuki replied, almost in the verge of tears.

**_'Listen here idiot! You want to die?!'_**

"Haruka, please put Shizuru on the phone." Natsuki demanded.

"Haruka, give me the phone." Shizuru told the blonde agent.

"Fine. Here." Haruka handed the phone to Shizuru.

**_'Ok Natsuki. You're gonna be ok. I need you to focus.' _** Shizuru, now on the other line, said in a soft tone, trying to calm the blunette. **_'Ahm… have you ever played any flying games before?'_**

"Uhm… flight simulator games… Yes, I've tried that." Natsuki said, a bit calmer now.

**_'Ok. Which ones?'_**

"Ah… uhmm… Gunship apocalypse, Desert Strike… Visual pilot…."

**_'Ok great. Now I want you to remember the last one. I want you to pretend that you're playing that game. You're just in your bedroom, playing a game and that none of this is real.'_**

"O-ok. I can do that." Natsuki replied. "This is just a game. Just a game." She let out a sigh. "I can play this game."

Though the chopper was still a bit wobbly, Natsuki had somehow managed to gain control of it.

**_'Easy Natsuki. Easy.' _**Shizuru said. **_'Now I want you to ease to the left and stir the brake.' _**She instructed. '**_They designed the game exactly like the real thing.'_**

"I got it. I got it." Natsuki said as she maneuvers the chopper just like what Shizuru told her. "Almost there."

**_"Ok now. A little more to the right." _**

"O-ok. I'm keeping it to the right. To the right." She said as she stirs the control to the right. "This is just a game. A big scary game." She told herself. She eased the control as she cautiously landed the chopper.

"Woah…woah…" she exclaimed as she successfully landed the chopper and let out laughter of relief. "Haha… Thank you god!" She looks at the unconscious pilot besides her. "You are awesome!" she said as she taps the pilot.

* * *

"And that is how you fly a chopper." Natsuki said, rejoicing after she hops off the chopper.

Haruka ignored the rejoicing blunette as the agent made her way to the chopper. The blonde quickly checked the unconscious pilot and doctor.

Natsuki, on the other hand, approaches Shizuru, who was kinda pissed off, well kinda is an understatement.

"Oh yeah! And that's how Natsuki fly a chopper." Natsuki raised her hand. "Ok… that's how **WE **fly the chopper. How about some high five Shizuru?" she grinned at the brunette, oblivious of the fact that Shizuru is mad.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Shizuru barked at the rejoicing blunette.

"Ok, got it. No high fives then." Natsuki lowered her hand.

"Natsuki, the secrets that you know are extremely important!" Shizuru yelled angrily. "You compromised everything when you stopped trusting me!"

"And when you get out of the car." Haruka added.

Natsuki looks at the two agents. "I-Im sorry ok." Her voice trailed off as her jovial mood suddenly changes.

"No, it is not ok!" Shizuru snapped. "How could you believe that I was the double?" She asked, disappointment laced her voice. "You know, I am not Nao! Nao betrayed everything that I believed in!"

Natsuki lowered her head in shame.

"And if you ever accused me of everything again, I will walk away." She looks sternly at the blunette. "Mission over and we all go back to Tokyo. And you don't want that to happen Natsuki. That you should trust me." She coldly warned the blunette as she turned her back and walked away.

"Nice going champ." Haruka taunted and then followed the brunette, leaving Natsuki behind.

* * *

_The following day at Natsuki's bedroom…_

"Hey you ok?" Mai asked Natsuki who was preparing to go to Nao's funeral.

"Yeah. I'm good." Natsuki answered as she fixes her shirt's collar.

"You know, you don't have to go to Nao's funeral if you don't want to."

"I know Mai but it's just that… I guess we have some history." She replied. "Even if she had me kicked out of FIT and stole my girlfriend, she was still my friend at some point."

"Well…" Mai straighten Natsuki's suit jacket. "You've move on to a bigger and better girl. Not that I mean bigger, like literally bigger. What I mean is, I really like Shizuru."

Natsuki smiled warmly at Mai.

"I hope you guys fix things up, well before the next dinner party that is." Mai continued.

Natsuki sighed. "I don't know Mai. I… last night, I screwed things up." She sits on her bed. "I blew it."

Mai sits besides her. "Natsuki, try to apologize. It goes a long way." She smiled at the blunette. "Shizuru's special. She's different from your FIT friends." she taps Natsuki's shoulder and stood up.

Natsuki looks at her friend. "Yeah… I guess your right." she said as she gave Mai a weak smile.

* * *

_At Nao's funeral…_

Nao's funeral was being held in a western style cemetery. It was attended by a few people whom Natsuki assumed were either Nao's relatives or acquaintances. She settled herself at the back as she quietly observes the ceremonies.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_

_Take this broken wings and learn to fly_

_All your life_

_You were only waiting for this moment to arise_

Natsuki sees Shizuru from afar. She tried to call the brunette but Shizuru didn't see her.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_

_Take this sunken eyes and learn to see_

_All your life_

_You were only waiting for this moment to be free_

The blunette decided to approach the agent but Shizuru leaves before Natsuki could talk to her.

Further back, Haruka can be seen talking to Gen. Graceburt on the phone.

"General."

**_'So she flew a chopper.' _**The general said. **_'Your report was quite alarming Major Armitage." _**She paused. **_'Do we really have the situation at hand? Or should we have Kuga in our care full time?'_**

"Well you know what I feel general." The agent answered looking at Natsuki. "But for now, we're in control."

**_'So she stays where she is now.' _**The general said**_. 'But Armitage, don't get too comfortable. The new Duran will be up and running in six months.'_**

"And what happens to Natsuki after that?"

**_'Well… you do what you do best Major Armitage.'_**

_Blackbird fly, blackbird fly_

_All your life_

_You were only waiting for this moment to arrive.._

* * *

_After the funeral…_

"Knock… Knock." Natsuki said as she enters Issei's Wiener. She sees Shizuru cleaning a table. "Hey." She called as she approach the brunette.

"Hello Natsuki." Shizuru answered without turning her back to face the blunette.

"How is everything?" Natsuki asked. "I saw you at the funeral." She said awkwardly.

"Oh yeah, I had to go." She faced Natsuki. "After everything Nao did, she was still my partner." The brunette went to the counter.

"Shizuru look. I'm not accusing you of anything." Natsuki followed the agent. "I may have had yesterday but today… I'm… I'm really sorry Shizuru."

The brunette looks at her.

"Instead of not trusting you, I should have been thanking you for saving my life." Natsuki said. "And protecting the country…" she picks up a corndog. "and making gourmet corndogs." She added.

Shizuru smiled at her. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Well, that was our first fight. You know, it's a big step if our relationship were remotely real and everything." She sheepishly smiled and massaged her neck.

"You know Natsuki, with Dr. Akagi gone, all those secrets will stay in your head." Shizuru said, changing the subject. "That means more missions, more danger and more secrets that you can't tell your friends."

Natsuki lowered her head. "I-I know that." She replied as she looks up to meet Shizuru in the eye.

"Some people want to be heroes, and others have to be asked. So tell me Natsuki, are you ready?"

"I…" Natsuki paused. She nods her head as she begrudgingly accepts. "Yeah…"

"Good." Shizuru replied.

Right then, Mai, Reito and the rest of the gang entered. "Hi. I hope were not interrupting something." Mai smiled at Shizuru.

"Uhm, I thought maybe that we could get that dinner another shot so I invited them here." Natsuki explained to Shizuru.

"We knew you'd forgive her." Yuiichi said as he puts an arm around Mai's shoulder which the latter quickly shrugged off.

"Oh really, and you do realize that you all have to eat my cooking?" Shizuru smiled at Natsuki as she handed her a burnt wiener.

Natsuki eyed the wiener. "Wow, looks delicious. Thanks." She smiled. "Bon appetite!"

* * *

**A/N**

**Music reference:**

_Blackbird _by The Beatles

Wow, so you finished reading it…

Arigatou for reading.

This is probably the longest chapter among the others. *Pats my shoulder. Good job to me then. **(u ^ u) **

So… tell me what you think. Do leave a review if you have time. **( ' ****◊ ' ) / jan'ne!**

**Special thanks to Kazuki-kun11, Urooj, xxxbluewolf, Leeyou, yanagi-negi, wolf-chan and all the guests who reviewed (wish you guys wrote your name instead of just "Guest" though, so that I could thank you properly…^^)**

**uhm... could you guys tell me how to do double space here...^^ whenever i tried to do double space, it just doesn't work. oh do please tell me if you know... its getting on my nerves. its frustrating. thanks.=3**

**_Chapter 5 teaser:_**

**_Natsuki goes for her first undercover spy mission and at the same time learns how to tango._**


	6. Chapter 5: Natsuki vs the Tango part 1

Chapter 5 Natsuki vs the Tango part 1

_Lyon, France…_

In a private art gallery, two men in suits were looking at a water lily painting with gold plated frame.

"_Not very good_." The shorter of the two said in French while looking at the painting. "_Terrible use of color._"

"_I know." _The taller one replied in the same language as he took out his gun and shot the other in the head.

* * *

_Makati, Philippines. Two weeks later…_

In a parking lot, two men can be seen walking towards a black sedan. The man who was wearing a grey colored button-down opened the car's compartment. _"Here it is." _He said in Filipino as he showed his companion the same painting.

_"Terrible!" _The burlier of the two with long hair commented as he inspects the painting. "_My 5__th__ grade niece can do better than this." _He said as he took out his gun and killed the other guy.

* * *

_Shiina Art Gallery, Downtown Fuuka, Japan. A week later…_

A man wearing a brown trench coat inspects the painting. "Hmm…" He looks at the long haired guy besides him. "Your money's on the desk."

The other guy made his way to the table and open an attaché case full on money. He smiles greedy as he looks at his payment. He then slowly and discreetly tries to reach for a gun under his black suit jacket but before he could even reach it, he is shot and killed in the spot.

"What a terrible piece of crap." The trench coat guy commented as he once again eye the painting.

* * *

_One month later…_

"Oh please. Please don't shoot me." Natsuki pleaded and raised her hands. "Just put the gun down."

"That's the problem!" a kid said, pointing a video game gun at the blunette. "It doesn't shoot!" He waved the gun at Natsuki. "This thing is busted!"

Natsuki's been indulging a kid customer at Otome's.

"Well good sir, when it comes to Natsuki Kuga, everything can be fixed. May I?" The kid handed the gun and Natsuki fished a small screw driver in her chest pocket. "We just have to do this…" She said, while tweaking the gun. "And this… and then… there it is! Ta-da! Good as new." She smiled at the kid as she returned the gun. "Try it."

The kid then faced the TV and started shooting. "Nice!"

"See, I told you so." Natsuki playfully ruffled the kid's hair. "Oh, nice shot."

A Greenshirt approaches and interrupts them from playing. "Hey Natsuki, Mr. Casey wants to see you."

"Not now Oska." Natsuki said without facing the Greenshirt. "Can't you see I'm with a customer?" Oska grunted and left.

"I'm so sorry for that sir." Natsuki apologized to the kid. "That's not how we normally do things here in Otome." She explained as the kid just shrugged his shoulder and continued playing.

"I need you in my office now, Kuga." Mr. Casey said, appearing out of nowhere.

This startled the blunette who immediately stood up straight. "Yes sir! In your office, now." She excused herself from the customer and followed their manager.

* * *

**Natsuki's POV**

_Inside Mr. Casey's office…_

I immediately followed the big boss to his office which is located near the G-Force counter.

Mr. Casey's office is not that big, and not the small either. It is medium sized, so to say. Once inside, the scent of coffee and donuts fills the air; and one can also smell it just by passing by his office. His wall, just like your typical office, was painted white. A bulletin board hangs by his wall where lots of memos and some other papers were pinned on it. Some framed photos also adorned his wall but the most noticeable from all his wall decorations is a taxidermy of an elk with two long antlers. He named it Bambi. Don't look at me; I don't know why he named it so. Anyway, to finish his interior, there's a small file cabinet on the left side of the room, a small photocopier on the right and a medium sized mahogany desk on the middle where Mr. Casey was already sitting behind, reading some papers.

"Sir." I greet him before entering.

He looks at me and gestures me to sit on one of the chairs in front of his desk. He puts down what he was reading and leans back on his chair. "Kuga, what is it that you want in life?"

"Do you mean existentially, like fulfillment and peace of mind? Or practically, like a VIP ticket for a Yomiuri Giants game and-"

"We're talking about Otome Kuga." Mr. Casey cuts me and gives me his serious oh-oh-oh face. "Career objective. What do you see yourself in five years?"

"Oh…" Ok, I wasn't expecting that. I look at my manager. "Honestly?"

"Yes, Kuga." He firmly replied. "Honestly."

"I have absolutely no idea, Sir." I honestly answer.

Mr. Casey heave a sigh after hearing my answer. "Well I guess it's time for you to think about it." He says this to me as he glance outside his office's glass windows which gives him a perfect view of the whole store from the inside. "As you know the position for the Assistant Manager position is open." He gazes back at me. "It's between you and Oska."

I forgot to tell that I applied for the Assistant Manager position the day after I learned about Duran. I don't know what compiled me to do so but I guess I needed some change.

Now, who is this Oska Choi? You met him already. He is the guy who interrupted me while I was talking to a customer awhile ago. What else can I say about him? Hmmm… let's see.

Well, Oska Choi is a smug and overbearing Greenshirt sales Supervisor who finds pleasure in tormenting his fellow Greenshirts, and sometimes, us geeks. I can honestly say that he is probably the most hated employee here in Otome. He has been eyeing the Assistant Manager position for quiet awhile now. Can you imagine the horror if he becomes the assistant manager?

"So do you want the job or not?" Mr. Casey asks me.

"I do. I do sir." I answer back. "I'm sorry sir, but yes, I absolutely want that job." I added with more conviction this time.

"Well Kuga, it's time for you to show me some."

* * *

"I got some bad news." I told my fellow geeks as we made our way to the back of the store where our workshop is located. "We have to fix all this junk in two days or Mr. Casey will give the Assistant Manager position to Choi." I look around our workshop and see a pile of old computers. "I'm sorry guys." I heard them sigh.

"It's not like we can do anything about it." Yuiichi replied.

"Hey guys!" Chie entered. "Mr. Casey sent me to give a hand."

"Thanks Chie." I smile at her.

"Oh really? Aren't you supposed to be with Aoi making out somewhere?" Takeda asked.

"Nah, she's on three days vacation leave. I'm free and all yours." Chie winked at Takeda. "But before I forget, there are two things that you must know. Number one: I lack the skill set, and number two…" Chie paused as her face turned sour when she saw the pile of broken computers. "Old computers give me the creeps."

Oh… now I know the reason why the Greenshirt couple never make out here.

"You guys don't know how much courage it takes me to just stand here." I can see her shiver, literally. "Urgh…."

"I'm proud of you, Chie." I give her an encouraging smile.

Chie inhales a lungful and exhales loudly. "Thanks."

I nod. "Welcome."

"I bring you news." She said to me.

"What?"

"Your lady is here and if I'm not over-stepping my bound…" Chie whistled. "Looking good. Damn, she's hot!"

* * *

I went out of the workshop and sees Shizuru waiting in front of the store's entrance. She sees me from where I stand and then smiled. She waved at me and motioned me to come to her which I happy oblige of course.

"Hey." I greet her with a smile.

"Hey." She greeted me in the same manner. "Give me a kiss."

Did I hear it right? Did she just ask me to kiss her? Ok, I think my mind can't seem to process what she just said. "I'm sorry, what?"

"We've been on three dates. We have to sell it." She answered me as she leaned her beautiful face towards me.

I look around first before I give her an awkward peck on the cheek.

"That's it?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not really good with the PDA." I reply shyly. I can feel my cheeks burning.

"Hmm… Well, let's go somewhere a little private." She whispered in a sultry tone as she slowly slides her hand to mine. "Shall we?"

I can't help but gulp. "O-ok."

* * *

**Normal POV**

"So here we are at the home theater room." Natsuki made her way to the couch.

All of a sudden, Haruka came barging in. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?" she asked. "Next time you need to talk to the subject, I'll appreciate a heads up." She said looking at Shizuru.

"Relax Agent Armitage." The brunette agent replied coolly. "I wouldn't dream starting without you." She gave the other agent a taunting smile.

"Excuse me. Mama bear. Papa bear. But baby bear here have some hard drives to fix." Natsuki told the bickering agents.

Haruka grunts while Shizuru lays out four pictures on the table infront of Natsuki.

"Shizuru, why are these people sleeping?" the blunette asked when she saw the pictures of men lying on the floor. She took one to get a better look.

"They're not sleeping." Haruka sits beside her.

"Huh?" Natsuki cocks her head.

"They were killed Natsuki." Shizuru explained. "And we want to know why."

"I have no idea!" Natsuki said in a somewhat high-pitched tone and immediately drop the picture. "And why would I even know?"

"Well, look again."Haruka said.

"I would rather not!" Natsuki retorted. "It's kinda creepy you know."

"Oops, sorry." Morgan said barging in. Haruka and Natsuki quickly got on their feet. "I was gonna take a nap."

Natsuki suddenly freezes when she sees the picture in the front page of the newspaper that Morgan was carrying.

Various images of weapons, art auctions, water lily paintings, and a top secret file of Kratos flashed before her.

"Be back in five. I kinda called dibs on the couch, if you know what I mean." Morgan then left the home theater room.

"Natsuki what did you see?" Shizuru asked, noticing the blunette's reaction.

"I-I don't know… I'm not totally sure." Natsuki replied. "Water lily paintings, weapons, and an art auction tomorrow night." She pauses and looks at the agents. "Does the name **KRATOS** sound familiar?"

The agents exchange knowing glances at once.

"Why?" Haruka asked, narrowing her eyes at the blunette.

"Because I think that he'll be there at the art auction tomorrow night…" her voice trails off when she noticed the silent exchange between her handlers; and as if reading their minds, the blunette says, "You know what? I'm gonna go fix some hard drives. Good luck with the spy stuffs." She side stepped away from Shizuru. "Excuse me." She said and left the agents.

* * *

_At Natsuki's and Mai's apartment…_

"Natsuki, I'm so proud of you! Chie told me about the assistant manager job." Mai exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"Ah-ah-ah." Natsuki stops Mai before the red head could even hug her. The blunette looks at Mai's hands and shakes her head. "Put down the spatula first and clean your hand.

Mai just finished frosting a chocolate cake. The red head pouts. "You're so mean." She said but did what Natsuki told.

"First of all, it's not mine yet so could you please ease out on the enthusiasm. And second of all it's just a 200 yen rate increase in an electronics store." Natsuki explained. "It doesn't even give me my own parking space." She added as she opens the fridge.

"But does your luck of interest means that you're finally considering leaving Otome for a real profession?" Mai placed the chocolate cake on the dining table.

"Woah… woah… woah." Chie interrupted. "Real profession? I think I need some clarification on that one Mai."

"Hey Chie! Sorry, didn't see you there." Natsuki joins them at the table with a soda in hand.

Chie nods at the blunette.

"She went to FIT, Chie." Mai answered. "Hey!" she slaps Natsuki's hand before the blunette could reach for the cake. "Go get a knife and a plate."

Natsuki pouts. "Fine." She murmurs

"Right, but she was unceremoniously expelled in a year." Chie said, continuing her conversation with Mai. "Sorry to bring that up buddy." She looked at the blunette and took a bite from her apple.

Natsuki smiled awkwardly at Chie as she handed Mai the knife and plate.

"And I think that we should be realistic about our goals here." Chie added.

"Her goals or your goals?" Mai cuts the cake and gave Natsuki a slice.

"Thanks." Natsuki said and Mai smiled at her.

"Good question. I think we should lay out a plan for Natsuki. What do we see her in five years? Ten years?" Chie asked Mai.

"We? Really Chie?" Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. Then just you and I." Chie replied.

Natsuki looks at her bickering friends. She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. She picks up her food and went to the living room where she could eat her cake in peace.

* * *

_At Haruka's apartment…_

"We're glad to know that you've settled down in Natsuki's apartment." Gen. Graceburt said.

The two agents were currently having a video conference with their superiors.

"But if Natsuki is right, this is a high priority case." The general added. "Kratos is the most elusive and the most dangerous arms dealer in the world."

"Last we heard, the InterPol had a drop on him but he disappeared." Victor, the CIA director, continued.

"Well, if he turns up, we just have to take him down in the auction." Shizuru said.

"Not so easy." Victor said. "We have no idea what he looks like. No photographs. Nothing." He told them. "No one has seen him that has live to tell about it."

"So we'll bring Duran." Haruka suggested. Shizuru disapprovingly looks at the other agent. "Everything we need to know about Kratos must have fit in that brain of hers." Haruka glanced at Shizuru.

"No way. It's too dangerous." Shizuru protested. "She has no field experience or training."

"She'll be fine." Haruka retorted. "It's an art auction."

* * *

_Back at Natsuki's and Mai's…._

Chie and Mai joined Natsuki at the living room. They are sitting across from each other as they continue to discuss the blunette's future.

"Listen, its way to dangerous out there." Chie explained to Mai. "Natsuki can't leave Otome. We're still finding ourselves."

"No offense Chie, but I think my bestfriend has already spent quiet a few years finding herself and she has definitely proven that her place in life is **NOT **in Otome." Mai retorted.

Natsuki, on the other hand, seems nonchalant about their discussion as she quietly eats her cake and reads a game magazine.

"You don't understand Mai. She's like a fragile little gelding." Chie replied. "You know, she's still trying to find her legs because the real world will crush her." She added.

"Do you even know what a gelding is?" Mai asked in a serious and low tone.

Chie snorted. "Of course!"

Natsuki looks at Chie, curious of her bespectacled friend's answer.

"It's that weird little creature from Dark Crystal." Chie answered confidently.

* * *

_Meanwhile, at Haruka's…._

The argument between the two agents continues.

"She'll be fine." Haruka stated once again. "Kratos wouldn't even be there."

"And if he is? Is it worth the risk?" Shizuru questions the blonde.

"Alright, I heard enough." The general interrupted. "Put Natsuki in the field. We don't know what she's capable of until she's been tested."

Haruka smirked at Shizuru who frowned at the general's order.

* * *

_At Natsuki's and Mai's…._

"Hey babe." Reito arrived and kissed Mai on the cheek. He joins their conversation and sits next to Natsuki who was still reading a game magazine. "What she needs to do is something to challenge her. To test her limitations." He looks at Mai and Chie. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"I have no idea what you're thinking." Mai replied.

"As far as I'm concern, you're way off the reservation." Chie added.

"I'm thinking class 5 white-water rapids." He looks at the blunette and smiles. "Just the two of us. Near death experience. Awesome."

Natsuki looks at Reito and puts down her magazine. "That's great." She gathers her empty plate and soda. "But my wetsuit's at the dry cleaner." She added and went to the kitchen.

"That's a terrible idea!" Mai said to Reito. "That is way too dangerous."

"I agree." Chie nodded her head.

"Well, Natsuki hasn't said a word." Mai looked at the blunette. "What do you wanna do?"

Natsuki looked at her friends. "I'm just gonna sleep. Good night team Kuga." She said and went straight to her bedroom.

"That's great guys." Chie said. "Really great."

* * *

As soon as Natsuki steps in to her room, she could not help but let out a surprise gasp the moment she sees Haruka standing by her window.

"Congratulations Natsuki. You just got your first mission. Tomorrow night." Haruka informs the startled blunette. "Hope you're ready for the real world."

* * *

_The following day at the Otome's…_

"So… dress attire for this evening. Sneakers or is it more of a shoe event?" Natsuki asked Haruka who was busy arranging some store merchandise.

"We rented you a tux." Haruka replied without facing the blunette.

"That's great. I'm not really a dress person." Natsuki said. "Wait, how did you know my size?"

"NSA." Haruka replied. "We did a check and found records of your suit rentals."

Natsuki looked on, feeling violated.

"I checked your closet." Haruka replied sarcastically and faced Natsuki.

"Ok, so this is my first undercover mission. So could you please ease out on the sarcasm? That would be great." Natsuki said. "And how am I supposed to recognize Kratos? Is there a picture or something?"

"If there's a photograph, why would we need you?" Haruka said with sarcasm.

"What did we just talk about?" Natsuki chided.

"I'm sorry." Haruka mockingly replied. "We are hoping that something in the event could trigger a flash."

"See? That's what I'm talking about. You could have told me that in the first place." Natsuki said. "So in the event that, you know, me and Kratos engage in a hand to hand combat, in all seriousness, is there like a twenty minute tutorial that you could take me through?"

"Don't worry, nothing is gonna happen. You'll be fine." Haruka assured the blunette. "Assuming that you know how to tango." She added.

Natsuki narrowed her eyes at the blonde agent. "Seriously?"

"I don't joke about your life." Haruka answered in a serious tone and left.

The moment Haruka left, Natsuki saw Mr. Casey looking sternly at her while pointing to his watch.

"Oh right." Natsuki nods at Mr. Casey and hurriedly made her way to their workshop.

Chie approaches from behind and stops her. "Natsuki, your girlfriend's here." She points at the brunette's direction.

Natsuki took a quick glance at the brunette who was smiling at her. "Just a minute." She told Chie. "I got hard drives to fix." She then continued her way to the workshop.

Natsuki, with Chie tagging along, sees the two other geeks at their counter.

"It's all good." Takeda looks at Shizuru's direction.

"Are you sure?" Natsuki asked them.

"Yeah, it's ok." Yuiichi replied. "There's only a few left anyway."

"Really?" The blunette asked.

Takeda nods and smiles at her.

"Yeah, yeah." Yuiichi said gesturing for Natsuki to leave. "But next time that I have a hot date, make sure to cover for me, ok?" the blonde geek added.

"Sure thing." Natsuki smiled. "Thanks guys! See you tomorrow."

"Thanks team!" Chie added as she puts an arm around Natsuki and made their way to Shizuru. "So… what are you doing tonight?"

"We're actually going to an art auction at the Intercontinental." Natsuki replied

"Ohh… swanky. I like it." Chie said with a grin.

The blunette smiled at her. "See you." She said as she joins Shizuru.

Chie waves at them. "That girl's got it all. Carreer. Super hot girlfriend." She muttered with a smile as she looks at her retreating friend. "Nice one Natsuki."

* * *

"The idea of a perfect cover is to keep it as simple as possible without revealing any personal details." Shizuru explained as she refills a napkin container.

They are sitting outside Issei's as Shizuru briefs Natsuki about their mission.

"Any thoughts of a name?" Shizuru asked.

The blunette thought about it for a couple of seconds. "Natalie Kruger." She said. "Simple. Dignified…"

"And easy to remember." Shizuru continued. "Not far from-"

Natsuki cuts in before she could finish. "Graduated with honors from FIT. Owns a multi million software company. Semi-retired and is thinking of joining a yacht club."

Shizuru looks at her and smiles. "Have you done this before?" she sets aside the containers.

"Let's just say that Ms. Kruger and I share a small kinship."

"How's that?"

"You see, when I first entered FIT, its kinda what I envisioned myself to be by now." Natsuki paused. "Well, except for the sailing part. I don't know where that came from."

"So… what happened?"

Natsuki looks at the brunette and heave a sigh. "My life took a little detour during senior year when our old friend, Nao Yuuki, discovered a stolen test under my bed and was kind enough to inform the admistration."

"Did you steal the test?" Shizuru asks.

"I thought that it was kinda implied that I'm a fairly decent person." Natsuki replied.

"Well, we all make mistakes." Shizuru told Natsuki.

"And I made plenty I know, but it just wasn't one of them." The blunette said. "But hey," she continued. "Nao sent me this whole database of government secrets that are now locked in my brain keeping me in a constant state of fear, danger and anxiety." She smiled at the brunette. "So, I guess were pretty even now." She joked.

"Don't worry about tonight. No reason to be nervous." Shizuru puts her hand on Natsuki's. "I'm not gonna leave your side."

Natsuki looks at their hands and then at Shizuru. "Me, nervous? Come on. I'm never nervous."

Shizuru smiles at her. "You hand's a little moist."

"It does that when I'm freaking out."

* * *

_3 hours before the auction…_

"Mai, do you know how to tango?" Natsuki asked her friend who was at the living room reading a magazine.

"No. why?" Mai replied without facing Natsuki.

The blunette took a bottle of mineral water. "No reason." She replied and gulped down the water. "I just have a date tonight and I thought that it might come up."

Mai puts down the magazine and turns to Natsuki. "No way! Really? You're tangoing on a date?" she smiled at her. "That's definitely a new territory. Do you know that you're stepping out of your comfort zone?"

Natsuki tossed her empty bottle at the trash. "Well, considering that my comfort zone extends to the end of that couch, a new territory's bound to come up." She replied and joined her friend at the couch. "What are you reading by the way?"

"Did someone say tango?" Reito, who just came out from the bath, asked after hearing their conversation.

"No, thank you, Reito. I'll look it up online." Natsuki replied and looked over Reito who was wearing nothing but a towel. "Would you please put on some robe or something!"

"I once went for a vacation in Buenos Aires." Reito told the blunette. "_Pasado mis noches bailando mi manera a Señoritas pantalones." _(Spent my nights dancing (tangoing) my way to ladies pants.)

"Did you just speak Spanish?" Natsuki asked while Mai raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Reito, now wearing a robe, puts tango music in his itouch. He starts walking to Natsuki and grabs the blunette's hand.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow at the action and looks at a giggling Mai who was watching them on the side.

As the music starts, Reito places Natsuki's hand on his, and put her other hand on his shoulder. He then pulls Natsuki closer and puts a hand on the blunette's hip.

Natsuki gasped when she felt that Reito's hand, unintentionally of course, was placed a bit lower than her hip. She narrowed her eyes at her instructor as she roughly grabbed the offending hand and properly adjusted his hold. Her dance instructor then started dancing while she followed his lead.

As Natsuki learns how to tango, her handlers were busy preparing for the auction in their own apartments.

Haruka is busy cleaning and loading her gun while Shizuru puts on her long red open back bandage dress.

After loading her gun, Haruka then puts on her suit and made her hair up in a ponytail. Shizuru on the other hand, just finished putting her hair up in a bohemian bun and is now currently finishing the last touches of her ensemble for the night. A small gun, which the brunette puts inside her pouch, completed her ensemble.

* * *

_At the geeks' workplace…_

The two geeks, along with Chie, were still working on fixing the computer. Yuiichi and Takeda were inside a cage like storage area for old computers while Chie was sitting and watching them from the outside.

"Ready?" Yuiichi asked, holding a stopwatch. "And… GO!"

"There is no way he could beat the two minute mark." Chie commented.

Currently, the geeks were competing on how fast one can fix a computer while on a blindfold.

"Oh yeah." It was Takeda's turn to challenge the time. "Come here sweetie. Takeda is right here." The black haired geek said as he blindly tweak the computer.

Oska, accompanied by his Greenshirt minions, suddenly comes in with a cart load of old computers. "Sorry to interrupt, but we just found a few more on the loading dock." He pushes the cart towards Chie.

Yuiichi and Chie gawk incredulously at the computers and then at Oska.

"Where's Kuga?" Oska asks.

"On a date with her super-hot girlfriend." Chie deadpans.

"And she left you here? Good. Very good. She really has good leadership skills." Oska smirks. "Well, I guess it shouldn't be that hard fixing all these. Don't worry, I'll leave the coffee pot on." He then left along with his minions.

"Done!" Takeda removes his blindfold." Chie, what are those?" he asks, looking at the new batch of broken computers.

"Choi."

* * *

Natsuki, Shizuru and Haruka arrives at the art auction venue in a limo with Natsuki and Shizuru at the backseat and Haruka driving.

"Here, this is for you." Shizuru smiles as she hands a small box to Natsuki.

"Ahmmm… thanks." Natsuki sheepishly smiles at the brunette as she took the box. She opens it found and found a watch inside.

"Inside the watch is a GPS tracking device." Shizuru explains. "That way you can't run away from me. And if you flash on anyone, tell me immediately then stay out of the way."

"Of course." Natsuki says smiling as she wears the watch. "I always run from a fight."

"This is not a joke, Natsuki." Haruka faces the blunette from the driver seat. "No who has seen Kratos has live to tell about it."

"Is she being serious?" Natsuki looks at Shizuru."What are my chances of getting into trouble?"

"Toughen up will ya." Haruka said. "You'll be fine. Assuming that you know how to tango."

"I did some preparations ok." Natsuki says to the blonde agent. "I won't say that I'm an expert though but-'

"Wait, why would we need to know how to tango?" Shizuru cuts in. "Is that a code or something?" she looks at Natsuki and Haruka.

"No, it's not a code or anything." Natsuki explains. "Haruka told me that I need to know to how to tango."

Shizuru smiles at Natsuki while Haruka chuckles.

"Haha… Funny." Natsuki says with sarcasm and looks at the two agents. "Spy humor. I like that."

"Come on. You ready?" Shizuru asks the somewhat pissed off blunette who nods. "Let's go."

* * *

_Back at Otome's…_

Chie tries to stop Yuiichi and Takeda from leaving.

"Wait guys! Where are you going?" Chie asks. "We still have computers to fix!"

"Sorry Chie." Takeda replies. "I got internet poker at 8."

"I need to feed Mikoto." Yuiichi says.

"What about Natsuki Kuga? What about our fearless leader? We owe her." She reasons out.

"For what?" Takeda asks.

"Because Natsuki's boldly going to where none of us, I mean, none of you guys have ever gone before." She answers. "To get laid."

Takeda shakes his head and walks away.

"I'm out of here." Yuiichi followed suit.

"Stop! Stop!" she calls out to the leaving geeks. "Ok, fine." She says. "See, you guys, Mr. Casey will just give the assistant manager position to Choi if we don't finish fixing the computers by morning."

The geeks stop dead on their track.

"Oh I see." Chie smirks. "Have I got your attention now?"

The guys look back at her.

"Good, good. Because you know what that means right?" Chie says. "No more two hour lunch breaks, no more video games competitions, no more porn." She looks at Takeda. "And most importantly no more making-out sessions. Oh god, no! I can't live without the last one." Chie shudders. "Total work hell."

"Ok fine! I'm in." Yuiichi points a finger at Chie. "But you better make sure that Natsuki gets it." He adds.

Takeda cracks his knuckles. "Let's do this."

* * *

Natsuki walks into the auction with Shizuru in her arms. A waiter, with a tray of food, pass-by and the blunette grabs some food from him.

"Oh nice." She says and smiles at the waiter. "Thanks."

As she was eating, some of the sauce gets to her shirt.

"Nice." Shizuru comments, looking at the blunette's soiled shirt.

"So, I've been a spy for like what? Five minutes? And I already have some soy sauce in my shirt." She looks at her stained shirt.

"Well, go wash it off." Shizuru says. "And Natsuki, stop saying that you're a spy."

"Right, of course." Natsuki walks away as Shizuru watches her.

* * *

Natsuki talks to herself as she dries her shirt with a napkin. "Idiot." She mutters. She then accidentally bumps to a guy wearing a black trench coat.

"Oops. Sorry sir. Didn't see you there." She says and suddenly stiffens when she sees the man's face.

Images of pyramids, a dead man on the floor, a person being shot, the top secret files of Kratos and water lily painting flashes before her.

"Excuse me, but do we know each other?" the man asks.

"I'm… I'm sorry sir but I don't think I know you."She stutters a bit, trying to hide her raising panic.

"Are you sure?" the man inquires. "I think we met before."

"No, not that I know of. Excuse me sir." She gives the man a somewhat nervous smile and scurries off.

* * *

Natsuki finds Shizuru waiting for her at the stairs. "Shizuru!" she calls the brunette. "I've seen him!" she whispers.

"Where?" Shizuru asks, looking around.

"There." Natsuki points to a man who is in his late 40s and was handling his trench coat to someone who seems like his companion.

Shizuru glances at the said location. "Kratos." Natsuki murmurs.

"Come here." The agent says to the blunette and quickly made their way inside the auction room.

Unknown to the two, Kratos saw them.

* * *

"So, we've identified the bad guy. What are we still doing here?" Natsuki, with Shizuru in her arms, asks as they walk around the room. "I mean, you know, missions over. Time to go."

"Natsuki, you go wait at the bar." Shizuru lets go of Natsuki's arm and left.

"Go wait at the bar?" she says to the leaving agent. "Ok, you go do your thing and I'll go wait at the bar covering the whole area. At the bar." She made her way to the bar and was surprise to see Haruka serving drinks.

"Drink, Ma'am?" Haruka offered.

"Yeah, I would like a martini please." Natsuki says. "Shaken and stirred."

"Would you like a cherry with that?"

"Yes barkeep. Thank you."

Someone on the side of the bar suddenly approaches Natsuki.

"Natsuki Kuga?" the stranger asks.

"No." the blunette turned to the stranger. "Name's Kruger."

The stranger extends his hand towards the blunette. "Jirou Suzuki! FIT." He says.

"Oh hey!" Natsuki smiles at him. Haruka looks on with an amused eyebrow. "Hey you!" Natsuki shakes the offered hand. "How are you?"

"I'm great." He answers and orders himself a drink from Haruka. "I don't know if you heard, but I sold my software company." Haruka hands him his drink. "Thanks." He says to the blonde and sips his drink. "Problem is, I'm too young to retire and too rich to work."

"Haha… that's quiet a pickle you got their Suzuki." Natsuki says with sarcasm which Jirou didn't notice.

"So, what are you doing now? Last time I heard you were fixing computers." Jirou asks.

Natsuki finishes her drink and orders another glass. "Yeah, you know, I'm just kinda weighing my options right now." Haruka hands the blunette her drink. "I maybe getting a managerial position at an electronics conglomerate." She adds.

"I always knew you'd make something for yourself." Jirou smiles at her. "Who are you here by the way?"

"Oh, I'm with my date." Natsuki looks around for Shizuru. "There she is." She points at the brunette's direction.

"Whoa… she's with you?"

"Yup." Natsuki answers proudly with a smile.

They both look over as Shizuru talks and gets touchy-feely with Kratos.

"Ouch." Jirous looks back at Natsuki.

"We have a very open relationship." Natsuki scrunch up her face and drinks her martini.

"You know what, give me call." Jirou smile at her. "If you need help for the job thing, I know a lot of people."

"I bet you do."

"Yeah." Jirou hands Natsuki his business card.

Natsuki flashes when she sees Jirou's company logo.

Images of caged animals, list of bank accounts, and Jirou on a yacht flash before her.

"Insider trading and offshore accounts in Switzerland." Natsuki blurts out after the flash.

"I'm sorry what did you say?" Jirou looks at Natsuki. "Do you work for the SEC?" he asks. "I got to go." He walks away from the blunette but not before taking back his card.

* * *

_Meanwhile at Otome's…_

The G-force gang is lounging around, eating pizza, drinking beers and talking.

"Something fishy is going on." Takeda said. "I know the captain's great and all but that Issei's girl is hot." He sips his beer. "Even for me."

"It's obvious scar face." Yuiichi takes a bite of his pizza. "That Issei's girl is a pro."

"Do you think Captain could afford her is she's a pro?" Takeda asked the blonde.

Chie looks over at the chatting geeks. "Seriously guys? Shouldn't you be talking about other things?"

"I'm just saying." Takeda shrugs.

"All right." Chie throws her empty can. "Enough crapping already. Break time's over."

"Takeda, want to play deer hunter?" Sideburns asks.

Takeda takes a last swig from his beer. "Of course."

Chie stands up from her seat. "No. No. Guys, guys." She claps her hand to get their attention and stands infront of the cage-like storage room. "Look at this place." She walks inside and removes a CPU that's holding the door. "We still hav-"

"Nooo!" Takeda rushes to stop the door from closing but is a second too late. "Oh no."

Chie turns around and finds the door closed. "Oh no? What oh no?"

"The lock is broken." Takeda says. Chie tries to open the door. "You need a key to open it."

"Then get the key, Takeda!" Chie yelled.

"There's only two keys." Yuiichi says. "Oska Choi has one."

"And Captain has the other." Takeda added. "Yikes."

The guys started to walk away while Chie hyperventilates.

"No! NO!" she called them. "Come on guys! Don't leave me here! Old computers creeps me out! Somebody, please! Give me a hand." She pleaded but was ignored. "Natsukiiii!" she shouted. "Get me out of here, please!"

* * *

Natsuki gulped down her third glass of liquor. "Hit me again." She said.

Haruka ignored her and continued wiping the glass she was holding as she gave the brunette a quick look. The blonde agent immediately noticed that a gun was being pointed at Shizuru's back while Kratos escorted the other agent out of the auction room. Haruka jumped over the bar at once. "You, stay." She sternly told the blunette as she followed them.

"Stay?" Natsuki said as Haruka ran after Shizuru and Kratos. "Stay like a puppy." She left her seat and decided to look around.

As she was looking around, a painting caught her eye and then she flashed.

Various images of pyramids, scientists, bomb explosions and a small metallic capsule like object that was being hidden in the painting's frame flashed before her.

She slowly made her way to the water lily painting after the flash.

"Beautiful painting." One of the auction's visitors commented.

"What's that?" Natsuki turned to face the stranger. "Yeah. Yeah. Beautiful. Painting." She stammered and flushed while she quickly averted her gaze back to the artwork.

The said stranger was a stunning and attractive woman with chest length brown hair and brown eyes. She's dressed in a black tight fitting gown with a low neckline. One could see that the gown didn't fail to accentuate the woman's robust figure. To top it all of, diamond stud earrings and necklace adorned her ears and neck.

The woman smiled at the blunette's reaction. "Care to say what you think about it?"

"Yeah. Ahm… the painting." She stuttered. "I can say that it definitely has a quality about it. Very Claude Monet-ish in its influence."

"Who?" the woman asked.

"Claude Monet. You know that bearded French dude who founded the French impress-" Natsuki faced the stranger. "You have no idea what I'm talking about."

The woman chuckled. "Sorry."

Natsuki smiled. "Nah, don't worry. It won't be the first."

"Fujiko." The woman extended her hand to the blunette. "Fujiko Mine."

"Kruger." Natsuki shaked the hand. "Natalie Kruger."

"So, you don't like the painting?" the woman named Fujiko asked.

"No. I… it seems very lovely actually." Natsuki replied. "It's just that I'm more interested in the frame, but you don't-" She stopped when her phone rings. She checked her phone and saw the id. It was Chie. "Sorry about that." She said, turning off her mobile. "Work never leaves you alone. I'm in the software business so."

"So… you were saying about the frame?"

"Nothing." Natsuki smiled. "It doesn't really matter anyway."

A waiter comes by with drinks.

Fujiko took a glass. "Champagne?"

"Sure." Fujiko handed Natsuki a glass. "Cheers."

"Mmhmm…" Fujiko sipped her drink. "I love tango." She said when a tango music was played.

"Oh yeah." Natsuki smiled. "Who doesn't?"

"Do you?"

"Do I wanna…?" Natsuki looked at Fujiko. "Uh… uhm… You know what? What the hell." She finished her champagne in one swig. "Let's give it a shot."

Fujiko smiled at the blunette as Natsuki leads her to the dance floor.

Natsuki puts her hand on Fujiko's shoulder.

"Ms. Kruger." Fujiko said.

"Please, Natalie." She replied.

"Natalie, aren't you suppose to lead?" Fujiko asked. "I think your hand is supposed to be in my hip."

"Right, but apparently I didn't learn the lead part of this dance." The blunette explained. "Would you mind leading?" she asked shyly.

Fujiko gave her a sweet smile. "Not at all."

* * *

_Meanwhile…._

As Natsuki tangoed her way, Haruka was peeking on Shizuru who is surrounded by a couple of bad guys with Kratos pointing a gun at her.

"What's your real name?" Kratos asked. "Who do you work for?"

As Shizuru starts her conversation with Kratos, Haruka looks on, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Who do you work for?" Kratos asked again. "Please don't lie to me. It will make this much more painful."

From the corner of her eye, Shizuru sees Haruka who nods at her. She then signals the blonde agent to sneak in.

The blonde agent barges in and distracts them while Shizuru successfully knocks off one of the bad guys.

Haruka pulls out her gun and points it a Kratos. "Federal Agents. Don't move!"

"We're the authorities!" Kratos exclaimed.

"Drop your gun." Shizuru said with a gun also pointed at Kratos.

"We're InterPol!" Kratos said, still with a gun in hand.

"Lower your weapon!" Shizuru commanded as Haruka looks on.

"Everyone relax. Take a deep breath. I'm putting my gun down." Kratos slowly lowered his gun. "I'm getting my identification." He slowly reached for his back and showed his ID to the brunette.

Shizuru took the ID and examined it. The ID has the logo of InterPol with the name of Koichi Zenigata and a picture.

"What are you doing here?" Shizuru tossed back Zenigata's ID and lowered her gun.

"I could say the same to you." Zenigata replied. "We've been pursuing an arms dealer through five countries."

"Let me guess, Kratos." Haruka said.

"That's right." Zenigata said. "InterPol intercepted a painting with Plutonium hidden in its frame. Rather than announce the bust, we removed the Plutonium and kept the auction in hope to lure Kratos." He explained.

"If you're not Kratos, then where is he?" Shizuru asked.

* * *

_Back at the tango…_

The dance ends as Fujiko dips Natsuki to finish the tango. The blunette laughs out in enjoyment that she finishes the dance. She catches her breathes and looks at her partner's neck. She sees a scar on Fujiko's neck that made her flash in an instant.

Various images of pyramids, weapons, top secret file of Kratos, and Fujiko being tortured and surrounded by scientists wearing owl masks flashes before her.

"Help." Natsuki mutters after the flash.

* * *

**A/N**

**Gelding - **is actually a castrated animal especially a male horse. LoL at Chie. But the Gelding in the Dark Crystal that Chie was referring to is an elf-like creature in the movie. They are a race of elf-like creatures native to the planet of Thra. They are also called Gelfing. (source:wiki)

**Kratos** – is the main protagonist of the game "God of War." He's a Spartan Warrior who is haunted by visions of himself killing his wife and child. He was able to avenge his family by killing his former master, Ares – the God of War- thus making him the new God of War. I love his game and I've played it over and over again in different levels. Though I only played God of War I and II in PSP, I still can't get enough of it. If you haven't played the game yet, I highly recommend that you give it a try. =3

**Anime Character Referrence:**

**Fujiko Mine – **Fujiko Mine is from the anime Lupin the Third. She's Lupin's love/lust (?) interest. Fujiko is one of my favorite female anime characters. She's smart, knows martial arts and is not afraid to flaunt and use her sexuality to get something she wants. She's a perfect example of a _Femme Fetale__**. **_She even has her own character arc series. The title is: **Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to iu Onna (A woman name Mine Fujiko). **The series deals with a darker and more mature side of Fujiko. It also tackles her rather hazy and mysterious past. I highly recommend watching it. A warning though, the series has lots of nudity and highlighted sexual themes. It also hinted sexual abuse and drug use. (can't say I didn't warn you though.) But nonetheless, it is a good watch.

**Koichi Zenigata – **also a character from the anime Lupin the Third. He's an InterPol agent whose goal in life is to bring down and arrest the elusive master thief, Lupin.

Thanks to **TUYETPHAM, noah114, sammykhann, Leeyou, shiznat13, guest25 and anonymous guests** who reviewed last time. You guys are awesome.=3

I enjoyed and had a lot of fun writing this. (#^.^#) oh, and for the spanish part, i don't know how to speak spanish. I just asked our good friend google translate to translate it. Hope it's the right translation though.^^

Hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Don't forget to drop a review whenever you feel like it. =3

**_Chapter 6 teaser: More kick-ass action with a little cat fight on the side._**


	7. Chapter 6: Natsuki vs the Tango part 2

**Quick A/N:**

We all know that authors Frau-chan and Yaa-chan are not with us anymore. So before anything else, let us offer them a moment of silence.

They will be surely missed in the ShiznatVerse.

Hey Frau-chan and Yaa-chan! Be sure to share to the people up there your stories. I'm sure they'll love it as much as we do.

_"For death is but a passing phase in life. A commencing where we ended and a starting where we stopped to rest. A giving up of something, to possess all the things. The end of the unreal, the beginning of the real."_ -Edwin Leibfreed, "The song of the soul."

* * *

_At Otome's…_

Yuiichi and Takeda were busy playing video games while Chie was frantically talking on the phone.

"Ok, ok, listen to me." Chie said. "My friend is in some sort of an art auction in your hotel. I need to speak to her. It's a matter of life and death."

**_'Describe your friend.' _**A lady on the other line asked.

"She's good looking with lots and lots of charm and kinda looks like a lost soul." Chie described. "She does this funny thing when she's nervous. She laughs. She goes, 'Ah, ha, ha'." She added. "Anyways… what?... what?... Oh yeah. Uhm… she has long hair that is kinda bluish, green eyes, and is 5'5". Does that even help at all?"

* * *

_Meanwhile at the auction hall…_

"What type of work are you in, Fujiko?" the blunette asked while walking with Fujiko in her arms.

"Why are you interested to know, Ms. Kruger?" Fujiko removed her hand from Natsuki's arm.

"No reason." Natsuki said. "Just making a conversation, that is."

They were interrupted when a lady, with a phone in hand whom Chie was talking to, approached them.

"Excuse me, Ma'am." The lady said looking at the blunette. "Are you Natsuki Kuga?"

"Who me? No. No." Natsuki replied. "I'm Kruger. Natalie Kruger."

**_'That's her!' _** Says Chie on the other line. **_'I can hear her voice!'_**

"Are you sure you're not Ms. Kuga?" the lady asked. "Your friend insists."

Natsuki tittered. "Never heard that name before." She glance back at Fujiko and excused herself. "Sorry, I gotta go. Excuse me." But before she could even turn and leave, she was stopped by Fujiko's men.

Fujiko lean toward Natsuki's ear. "Why don't we head up to my room now, Ms. Kruger." She whispered hotly as she ran a finger down the blunette's neck. "And find out who you are."

* * *

_Back at Otome's…_

The two geeks decided to leave Chie for the night.

"So I guess we should re-group tomorrow?" Takeda said while packing his belongings.

"Good idea." Yuiichi replied.

"No, wait guys. Where are you going?" Chie asked.

"Sorry Chie, but this is way out of my pay grade." Takeda smiled apologetically at her.

"I need to feed Mikoto. She might be starving to death." Yuiichi said. "I'm sorry Chie. Be strong."

"NO! WAIT! You can't leave me here with all these computers!" Chie called out to the leaving geeks. "You could hand a stick or some water. I need to survive through the night. I…" the lights shut off. "Not cool."

* * *

Haruka and Shizuru wonders around the hotel looking for Natsuki who is currently tied up in a chair, being held captive by Fujiko.

"Let's start with an easy one." Natsuki's captor said. "What's your real name?"

"Natalie Kruger." The blunette answered.

Fujiko tossed a knife into the chair, just below Natsuki's crotch.

"Natsuki Kuga!" the blunette rapped out.

"Now that wasn't so hard." Fujiko smiled at Natsuki. She slowly made her way to the blunette. "Now, before you answer my question, I want you to think long and hard about my options." She sits on Natsuki's lap and holds the knife to the blunette's face. "There's the old favorite, pull out a tooth. Too noisy. Cut off a toe, too messy."

Natsuki nervously looks at the knife. "Yeah, far too messy."

Fujiko stood up and looks over the balcony. "Or we could throw you off the balcony." She said. "Probably land head first. Teeth go through your head. Tsk. Tsk. Not a very good way to go, don't you think?" Natsuki nods her head frantically. "So here's my question, who do you work for?"

"No one." Natsuki answered immediately.

The goons pick up Natsuki's chair and head towards the balcony.

"No. No. Oh please stop! Please!" Natsuki pleaded. "I fix computers for a living!" Her pleas were ignored as the goons put Natsuki's chair over the balcony. "Oh god!" the blunette looks down below. "Please put the chair down." She pleaded once again, in the verge of tears. "Ok, I snuck in to the party under a fake name to impress the girl I like. So please, please, put the chair down."

"Goodbye, Natsuki." Fujiko said.

"No! Wait! Wait!" Natsuki exclaimed. "It's a setup!"

"What is?" Fujiko replied with an amused brow.

"The painting. The painting. I think it's fake or something." Natsuki looks down over the balcony once again and then back to Fujiko.

"Why?" Fujiko asked.

"If you put me down, I'll tell you." Natsuki let out a sigh of relief when the goons put her down. "I saw the painting in the Fuuka Times, ok? But it had a different frame. So I'm assuming that it had been swapped. If I were you, I wouldn't buy that painting."

"A fake painting and you had no intention of biding on it?" Fujiko asked.

"Me bid? No, not unless they are gonna sell it for 5000 yen." Natsuki answered. "I mean, that's all I have for my budget."

"Ok." Fujiko points a gun at Natsuki. "Tell me how to fix a computer."

* * *

Outside, Shizuru and Haruka approached the door, following the blunette's tracker.

Natsuki on the other hand, started explaining how to fix a computer. "My first inclination is that your bus speed isn't up to snuff with your video card." The blunette said. "I'm assuming we're talking about PC here, right? Is your memory dedicated?"

"That's enough, Ms. Kruger. I believe you." The arms dealer told the blunette. "But the problem is, since you've seen me, I have to kill you."

"Have to? No. No. No. I disagree. I strongly disagree on that one." The blunette said.

Fujiko puts a silencer and cocks her gun.

"I won't say anything! I swear to god!" the blunette exclaimed.

"Don't worry, it will be fast." Fujiko smiles at her. "Goodbye, Ms. Kruger. I enjoyed out tango."

* * *

Haruka and Shizuru pretends to lovers and all lovey-dovey as they approach the door. Shizuru then quickly knocks down the guard patrolling outside while Haruka forcefully kicks the door open just in time before Fujiko could pull the trigger at Natsuki and then…. A shoot out begins.

* * *

As soon as the shoot out started, Fujiko quickly makes her escape through the balcony.

"Natsuki, get down!" Shizuru shouted to the blunette who was in the middle of the shoot out.

"Aahh!" Bullets were flying everywhere as Natsuki wiggles back and forth in her chair to fall down. "Shizuru! Help!"

When a body fell down from the balcony, the shoot out ended.

Shizuru immediately rushed to the blunette's side and caressed Natsuki's face. "Natsuki, are you alright?" her soft tone were laced with worry and concern.

"Ok?! Ok?!" Natsuki snapped. "They were gonna throw me over the balcony!"

"You tell them you work for us?" Haruka helps Natsuki up and releases her bounds.

"Of course not!" Natsuki massaged her sore wrists. "Where the hell were you guys?"

"You're alive." Haruka said. "I'd consider myself lucky."

* * *

Fujiko can be seen running out of the hotel with a goon in tow.

"We have to get you out the country." The goon said.

"But first, we take her out!" Fujiko handed the goon Natsuki's employee card.

* * *

Natsuki comes home and finds Mai sleeping on the couch. The blunette goes and tucks her in.

Mai, feeling the blunette's presence, rouse from her sleep. "Hey, how was the big date?" She asks as she rubs the sleep from her eyes.

"It was good." Natsuki smiles at her friend. "I'm going to bed, go back to sleep. Good night."

"What? No. No." Mai sits up and stops the blunette from leaving. "Is that all I get? Come on, sit down." Natsuki oblige. "I want to know, do you like this girl?"

"It's… you know…" Natsuki looks at her friend and sigh. "It's complicated."

"Well, explain it to me, slowly." Mai puts a hand on Natsuki's and squeeze it. "I'll catch up."

"She's a very beautiful girl."Natsuki said.

"Good. Go on."

"And she's very agile." The blunette continues.

"I'm not sure how that applies, but go on."

"And I think that she's too exhausting for me." Natsuki slumps her back to the couch.

"Well, what happened?" Mai asked with concern. "Did you guys tango?"

"Oh, yeah. We did. In fact, we tangoed for quiet a bit." Natsuki smiles at her friend. "But Reito didn't teach me the lead part, so it was a little difficult as one might expect."

Reito enters the room. "What's up Natsuki? Did you do the famous dip?"

"Yeah. I was on the receiving end of the dip." Natsuki looks at him. "And on that note…"

"No. No." Mai chided. "You're not getting off that easy. Why won't you talk to me?"

"It's… Look, its complicated, ok?" Natsuki stands up and let out an exhausted sigh. "Just let it go."

"Fine!" Mai huffed. "You don't want to talk to me, I get it. I suggest you find someone to talk to, like maybe Chie. She's called about 50 times already. She locked herself in a storage cage. Whatever that means."

* * *

Chie was sleeping and lying in fetal position when Natsuki, still in her suit, comes in and holds a pizza in her face to wake her up.

"Oh, god. It's you!" Chie gives Natsuki a big hug. "You have no idea what I went through."

"Ok, Ok. Settle down. It's all good." Natsuki pats her friend's back. "What happened?" she asks looking around to find more broken computers.

"What happened?" Chie let go of Natsuki. "Choi showed up and drop these all off. I guess he was stacking them, you know." Chie stands up. "So, alright. Let's do this."

"Chie what are you talk-" Natsuki stops Chie. "You don't know how to fix a computer."

"Moral support." Chie says. "Ever left a wingman before?" she asks. "Something your team should learn about."

"Look, its ok." The blunette smiles at her. "Go get some sleep, ok?"

"Are you sure? Just say the word and we go down together."

Natsuki shakes her head. "No, I appreciate it. But I think it will be nice to do something that I'm actually good at."

"Fantastic!" Chie takes the box of pizza from Natsuki. "See you later. Good night!"

"Good night."

* * *

_The morning after…_

Mr. Casey walked in on Natsuki finishing up fixing the last broken computer.

"You finished, Kuga?" the manager asked.

"Mission accomplished, Sir." She gave her manager a mock salute.

"Woah. Two days is an incentive. I didn't think you'll finish all this in two days." He said looking around. "I'm impressed and I'm not a man who is easily impressed."

"Well, I think you should know that I only finished the last few." Natsuki said. "Uhm, my team did most of the work. They deserve the credit. You're only as good as your team." She smiled.

"First rule of management: Always take credit." Mr. Casey took a bite from his donut and sipped his coffee. "Hope we can sell all this crap."

Oska entered, carrying several empty beer cans. "Sir, there's been a major infraction." He said. "Drinking alcoholic beverages on the property." He narrowed his eyes at Natsuki.

"Nothing wrong with a man wetting his whistle once in a while." Mr. Casey said.

"Sir, I'm not a man." Natsuki said.

Mr. Casey seems nonchalant. "Keep it out the store Kuga." He said.

"Yes, absolutely sir." Natsuki replied.

"You also get extra points for style." The manager said pertaining to Natsuki's suite. "Looking sharp." He added and then left.

Natsuki smiled at her boss and smirked at Oska.

Oska grunted. "More like a waiter." He tossed the empty cans at the floor. "Kiss ass."

* * *

"Was I scared? Yeah, I was but my survival instinct kicked in. Something I didn't know I possessed. The desire to live." Chie was retelling her story to a group of Greenshirts. Takeda handed her a cup of coffee as he and Yuiichi joined them. "Good news is, I think I may be able to retire off this." She sips her coffee. "Mr. Casey will be hearing from my lawyer today. That cage is a major fire hazard."

As Chie continues her telltale, Haruka can be seen approaching the blunette who was looking at some store's merchandise.

"Good work last night, Natsuki." The blonde agent said.

"Look, I just pulled out an all-nighter here and I realized that you are probably armed. So I'm gonna asked nicely, would you please ease out on the sarcasm?" Natsuki said in a peeved tone.

"I'm not joking." Haruka said. "You helped us find Kratos."

"But she got away." Natsuki replied.

"Doesn't matter." Haruka shrugged. "We got a photo from hotel security and a blood sample from a broken window. Our intel tell us that she's heading to China. We already have people waiting there." She paused. "You look sharp." She added, pertaining to Natsuki's suit.

"Oh, thanks." Natsuki smiled at the agent.

"That was a joke, you idiot."

* * *

"I fixed this one myself, so it should be good as new." Natsuki's at the customer service desk, helping a customer. "And I do apologize for the delay." She said as she hands the laptop to the customer.

When the customer left, Natsuki sees Fujiko's men entering the store. She immediately ducks under the counter and hopes that the goons didn't saw her. Luckily for the blunette, Haruka also noticed them.

"Natsuki, hiding from work?" Oska said coming in, antagonizing the blunette with a smug look on his face.

"I think I drop something." Natsuki said. "Go away, Oska!"

"You wish I would, don't you?" Oska smirks. "But I'm not going anywhere Natsuki." He looks over at Natsuki's hiding place. "When you go to sleep at night, all you're gonna see is Choi in your face."

One of the goon approaches Oska. "Excuse me. Where can I find Natsuki Kuga?" he asked Oska who was still looking down at the blunette.

"Why?" Oska asked, facing the bad guy. "Did she do something wrong?"

"I need to speak with her." The bad guy answered.

"Ok. Well, if she's in any kind of trouble, tell me." Oska said and turned to the hiding blunette. "Natsuki, you have a visitor. Natsuki?" He found no blunette."Well, maybe I can help you sir. I…" the bad guy left before Oska could even offer his help.

* * *

Shizuru was on her way to Otome's when she came across a woman dressed in a courier service uniform carrying a large rectangular box. The agent discreetly eyed the woman, who has her head down and is wearing a black cap. She noticed the scar on the woman's neck and immediately identified her as Kratos.

The two women suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Fujiko, who have already passed the agent, looks over at Shizuru, eyeing her cautiously. Shizuru, on the other hand, felt Fujiko's stare and decided to walk away, pretending to not know the other. Fujiko, sensing that the other was not a threat, continued to her destination.

Once Shizuru's on a safe distance, she quickly hides behind a nearby truck. She looks over to Fujiko and sees her climbing Issei's roof.

"I think we have some company." Shizuru informs Haruka through the radio in their watch.

"I'm on it." Haruka replied as she tails one of Fujiko's men.

The brunette agent then followed Fujiko to the roof.

* * *

"Natsuki Kuga to the storage cage." Was announced through the store's paging system. "Natsuki Kuga, please report to the storage cage."

The said blunette was hiding behind the cashier's counter, holding a microphone.

"Where's the storage cage?" the goon asked Haruka, oblivious of the fact that the agent was tailing him.

Haruka smiled at him. "Oh, just through here sir. I'll show you." She then gestured the goon to follow her.

Meanwhile, Natsuki peeped over the counter and saw Haruka leaving with the goon. She let out a relief sigh. _One more goon to go._

She look around the store and sees Chie talking to the other bad guy. Unfortunately for the blunette, Chie saw her and pointed Natsuki's direction to the guy. Natsuki immediately ducks and crawl away from the counter before the goon could see her.

* * *

The blonde agent stalled the perp by guiding him to the kitchen appliance area. "By the way sir, we are having a big sale on refrigerators, in case you didn't notice." She smiled at him.

The goon pulled a gun and pointed it at the agent. "Where is she?" he said angrily. "Where is Natsuki Kuga?"

"Woah." Haruka stepped back and raised her hands. "Sir, I'm just a salesclerk." She said, feigning innocence.

"Take me to her now!" the goon demanded, pointing the gun at the agent's chest.

Haruka then quickly grab the goon's hand and twists it. The guy could only grimace in pain when the agent twisted his armed hand. He is about to punch the agent in the face with his free hand, but Haruka beats him to it. Haruka headbutt's the goon's hand before the punch could even land, making him crack a few knuckles.

"Ah..." the goon winced in pain as he looks at his now broken knuckles. He once again tries the same attack but Haruka evades it.

The agent then roughly slams the bad guy to a nearby refrigerator, leaving a big dent on the fridge's door. She then kneed the guy in the guts and tossed him inside an open freezer. The guy tries to get up, but Haruka smashes the freezer's door to the guy's head, knocking him off in an instant. The agent then secures the door, trapping the unconscious perp inside.

* * *

Fujiko opens the rectangular box that she was carrying, revealing a sniper riffle inside. She takes out the gun and cocks it. She then positions herself towards Otome's and adjusted her scope as she patiently waits for her target.

Shizuru, on the other hand, is already moving stealthily towards her. Sensing another's presence, Fujiko starts to turn around with her gun but the agent, quick in her actions, tosses the gun away from Fujiko's hand before the latter could face her.

Fujiko hits back by delivering a spinning kick to the brunette, making the latter fall to the ground. Fujiko looks on at the fallen agent and smirks when she sees Shizuru wiping her bloodied lower lip.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Natsuki crawls her way to the workshop and hides under the table. A goon follows her and walks inside the storage cage. Seizing the opportunity, the blunette quickly made her way to the cage and kicks the block holding the door.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Oh you." Natsuki laughs at the guy when the door closes. "Ha. Ha. Ha. You got… Big old guy in that thing…."

Natsuki stops laughing when the goon opens the door and walks towards her. "That was soo broken this morning." She said and took a step back. She gulps nervously when the guy points a guy at her. She then tightly closes her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

All of a sudden, a microwave flying out of nowhere smashes straight to the goon's head.

"Now, that is what you call moving some merchandise." Haruka said with a smirk when Natsuki opens her eyes. Haruka then drags the unconscious goon outside the room.

* * *

_Back at the rooftop…_

Fujiko successfully lands a punch at Shizuru. The agent strikes back by sending a spinning kick towards the arms dealer who quickly dodged it. Fujiko then counters by sending a flurry of punches towards the brunette; where some of it passed thru the agent's defenses.

Shizuru succeeds in blocking an incoming karate chop and then grabs her attacker's arms before they could make another attack. The two women then started kicking each other. Fujiko got the upper hand when a kick connected to the agent's guts making the latter release her hold on the arms dealer.

Fujiko did a highkick but Shizuru grabs her leg midair. Fujiko uses this opportunity to pushdown the agent by using the leg that the agent was holding.

On the ground, Shizuru rolls away from another attack but is not able to avoid a kick that landed straight to her back. She can't help but wince in pain when Fujiko yanks her hair. The agent grabs Fujiko's hand and elbows the arms dealer straight in the nose making the latter release her hold and staggers a little from the attack.

Shizuru quickly got on her feet and takes out her handcuffs from her back. Fujiko, on the other hand, shakes of the last attack and takes out a knife hidden in her boots. Fujiko started brandishing her weapon at the agent who blocks it using her handcuffs. Fujiko lunges forward but Shizuru grabs her arm and turns around. With her back facing the enemy, she roughly pull Fujiko's arm and elbows her in the guts. The agent continues her offense by delivering a couple of brass knuckle punches straight to Fujiko's face. She then flip Fujiko over and deliver a finishing blow to finally knock off the arms dealer.

Shizuru cuffs Fujiko to a nearby post. "Hang here." The agent says as she wipes her bloodied lip.

* * *

_At Otome's…_

Chie, with a microphone in hand, is waiting for Natsuki at the G-Force counter. "Paging Natsuki Kuga. Paging Natsuki Kuga." She said through the store's paging system. "Natsuki Kuga of Fuuka's Tokiha's and Kuga's, please report to the G-Force counter now. Natsuki Kuga, rep-"

"What?!" Natsuki said in a peeved tone.

"Nothing." Chie said smiling while holding the microphone in front of the blunette. "I'm just loving this. Maybe we should get one for your apartment." Natsuki gawked at her friend. "Oh, good news, the lock on the storage cage was fixed this morning, so…" The blunette yanked the microphone from the Greenshirt. "What?" Chie asked the leaving blunette.

* * *

_At the apartment…_

"I'm sorry Mai." Natsuki is talking to Mai who is busy preparing their dinner. "I know I've been kind of evasive, but I didn't want to lie and I chose not saying anything as being the lesser of the two evil." She explains.

"Why would you lie to me?" Mai, with her back turn to Natsuki, asks.

"Mai, I want you to trust me and I want you to know that it has nothing to do with you." Natsuki reasoned out.

"But you want me to butt out." Mai says, sulking. "I get it. It's none of my business." She gathers the fruits and went to wash them at the sink.

"No, no. I'm not saying that." Natsuki replied. "I… I just don't wanna create a false sense of excitement for a relationship that seems doomed since the beginning."

"Well, why is it doomed?" Mai asked, not looking back at the blunette.

Natsuki let out a dejected sigh. "Because she's not into me."

Mai faces the blunette. "Oh, trust me. I've seen how that girl looks at you, and I can say that she's into you." She then returns to her task.

"Really?" Natsuki asks, grinning.

"It's none of my business." Mai replies as she puts the fruits in a bowl.

"Ok, fine. What the hell." Natsuki said. "What do you want to know about Shizuru?"

Mai places the bowl in the table. "Really?" she asks, looking at Natsuki with an amused brow.

Natsuki shrugs. "You better hurry up, this is a one time offer."

"Ok." Mai smiles at her. "Do you really like her?"

"Yeah."

Mai giggles, getting all mushy.

"Hap! No unnecessary excitements." Natsuki chided.

Mai breathes in. "Ahem. Sorry. Sorry."

"What else?" Natsuki asks.

"That's it."

"That's it? Really? No follow-up questions or anything?" Natsuki asks.

"Yes, Natsuki. That's it. I don't need to know the intimate details, ok? As long as you're happy, that's enough for me." Mai smiled fondly at her. "I don't wanna hag you about your future, and your job. I don't want to be a friend that pesters you into oblivion."

"No, no!" Natsuki waves her hand frantically. "You're not a pest."

"I know what an incredible person Natsuki Kuga is." Mai looks at Natsuki in the eye. "And sometimes, I'm not so sure if she knows it."

Natsuki sheepishly smiles at her bestfriend. "How do you feel about a bestfriend hug situation right now?"

"I'm open to it." Mai puts her arms around Natsuki.

As they hug, the door bell rings.

"I'll get it." Natsuki let go of Mai.

When Natsuki opens the door, both Shizuru and Chie are there.

"Sorry, I thought we have plans for today." Chie said. "What is she doing here?" she points at the brunette.

"What gave you that impression?" Natsuki asks.

"Oh, when you were leaving earlier and you were like, _"See you later dude"._" Chie answered. "Took you at your word. It's cool, if you didn't want me to be here. That's fine, just stop giving me mixed signal."

Natsuki laughs while Shizuru smiles on the side.

"Come on in." Natsuki gestures Chie inside.

"Super." Chie smiles at her. "What are we having?" she goes in and left the two behind.

"Here you go." Shizuru hands a wine to Natsuki.

"Oh, thank you." Natsuki smiles and gives Shizuru a peck on the cheek. "Ouch." She points at the agent's busted lip. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, occupational hazard." Shizuru smiles at her. "She got in a lucky kick."

"The wine's from both of us!" Chie shouted from inside.

* * *

Natsuki walks with Shizuru outside the apartment.

"Congratulations on your first mission, Natsuki." Shizuru said. They stop in front of the fountain inside the apartment compound. "You did really good." She smiled at Natsuki.

"Stop it." Natsuki said. "We all know that I'm not a real spy. Your computer just ended up in a head of someone who only knows how to fix them, not use it."

"You survived a near-death experience under the threat of torture and apprehended one of the world's most evasive criminal." Shizuru stated in a manner of fact tone. "I don't know what you think spies do exactly, but for most of us, it's a pretty good day."

"Sure, today I helped in apprehending one of the world's most wanted international arms-dealer, but tomorrow... Tomorrow I'm still gonna clock-in at Otome's. I mean, what's the use of being a hero if nobody knows it?"

"You know, and so do I." Shizuru smiled at her.

"You know, if our relationship is remotely real, I think this is a situation wherein I'll be force to kiss you goodnight." The blunette said.

"Forced? Would it be so bad?"

"I'm pretty sure I could suffer through it." Natsuki grinned at Shizuru.

"Me too." Shizuru said, smiling.

They both paused and gazed at each other for a few seconds before Shizuru walked away.

* * *

**A/N**

Heya! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. =3

**Leeyou: **Thanks for all your reviews. =3 Hope you love this update.

**Anon: **Nah, Lupin's probably out there stealing some national treasures. He'll rather steal than suffer the wrath of Shizuru. hehe

**sammykhan: **thanks for the compliment and review. Here's a bearhug for you. c=(^u^c=)

As an author, reviews are like power-ups for our muse. And whenever our muse is all drained up, your reviews acts like a potion that replenishes our muse to their full health. So once again, thanks for the review. /u\\

**shiznat13: **hehe… I sometimes think that Natsuki's jinx or something.^^ she always ends up in a dangerous situation.

**Thanks again to all that reviewed, ff, fav, and read this. Have a nice day minna-san. =)**

**_Chapter 7 teaser: Sizzling shrimps and a Chinese spy. Smells like trouble for our favorite spy. _**


	8. Chapter 7 Natsuki vs the Sizzling Shrimp

Chapter 7 Natsuki vs the Sizzling Shrimp part 1

**Quick A/N:**

Anyone watching **Kill A Kill **say aye! Aye! Hehe… that talking sailor uniform… oh and a shout out goes to **twentysix-white wave. =3**

Enjoy reading everyone~~

* * *

Chie walks with Natsuki as they made their way to the G-Force counter. "Natsuki, want to go on a double date?" Chie asks.

"Uhm…" Natsuki sits behind the counter. "Where?"

"At the Red Bamboo. China town." Chie hands Natsuki a flyer of the restaurant.

"Chinese?" Natsuki looks at it. "Really?" she quirks a brow at Chie.

"Yeah. Don't worry, she'll love it." Chie smiles at the blunette. "So… are you game for tonight?"

Natsuki thought about it for a moment. "Ok, I'll tell Shizuru."

* * *

_At the Chinese consulate in Fuuka…_

A guy wearing a black suit is talking on the phone. "_Seriously sis, I'm fine here."_ He said in Chinese. "_Yeah, I got your messages_."

He walks out of the building. "_No, I'm not in trouble_." He laughs. "_You're so paranoid. I'm just busy that is."_ He walks towards a limousine where a chauffeur opens the door for him.

A white van suddenly stops and a group of suits came out.

_"Don't worry. I'll call you when-"_One of the men shoots his chauffeur in the head. "What are you-"He drops his phone when a suit grabs him in the arm while another suit puts a cover in his head. He is then roughly shoved inside the van.

"**_Brother? Hello? Are you there?" _**a woman's voice can be heard on the other line of his phone. **_"What's happening? Hello? Syaoran?!"_**

* * *

_At China Town…_

"So I made us some plans to make our date awesome." Chie, with her arm around Aoi, said to Natsuki.

The two couples were on their way to the Red Bamboo.

"Care to share them?" Natsuki, with Shizuru in her arms, said.

"First would be dinner." Chie looks at Natsuki.

"What are we having?" Shizuru asks.

"Well, were gonna have one of my favorite Chinese food. Sizzling shrimp." Chie smiled at the brunette.

"Ok." Shizuru smiles.

"Mai can also make that." The blunette said. "If you want, I can ask her to cook some for you."

"I know that, but it's Chinese and Mai is Japanese. You get me?"

Natsuki shakes her head. "Whatever, Chie."

"Hey! It's also delicious. It can rival Mai's." Chie pouts.

Aoi giggles at Chie's expression. "Don't worry guys, it's delicious." She assures the other couple and gives Chie a quick kiss on the lips.

"Ok. Ok." Natsuki said.

Chie smiles at her girlfriend. "Next on my list would be watching a movie after dinner."

"What are we gonna watch?" Natsuki asks.

"Since were having Chinese, we're gonna watch one of the greatest Chinese martial arts movie ever created."

"Wait, don't tell me…" Natsuki narrows her eyes at her friend.

Chie nods her head. "Enter the Dragon." She said in a low voice.

Natsuki and Chie then starts goofing around, doing some martial arts moves while their girlfriends laugh at their antics.

"And lastly…" Chie said, a little out of breath. She puts an arm on the blunette's shoulder. "Fireworks. Chinese all the way baby." She winks at her girlfriend.

"Sorry, but I have to pass on that one." Natsuki said. "I pretty much want to have my limbs intact at the end of the day."

Chie snorts. "Spoilsport."

* * *

"Oh no!" Chie exclaimed after they arrived at their destination. "This can't be happening."

Unfortunately for the couples, the Red Bamboo is currently closed for the night. A notice was posted at the restaurant's door saying that a private party is being held.

"It's ok , Chie. We can go some other time." Natsuki smiles at her.

"Don't worry. I got this." Chie said. "Fortunately for us, I got connections." Chie makes her way to the back door. "My friend, Ang, works here as a cook. He keeps a spare key in case of emergency." She fished a key hidden behind the no entry sign of the restaurant. "Come on, let's go." She gestures for them to follow inside. "This will be real quick."

"Hey, Ang!" Chie calls out once inside. "Remember me?" she asks as she approaches her friend.

"Wow, they sure are busy." Natsuki looks around the busy kitchen.

A waitress comes in, barking out some orders.

Natsuki freezes when she sees a dragon tattoo on the waitress' forearm.

Images of tigers, tanks, confidential files, and the Chinese flag flashed before her.

"Shizuru." She whispers to the brunette besides her. "That waitress," She points at the waitress' direction. "She's Meiling Li. Chinese intelligence." She said. "She had never set foot on Japanese soil before."

* * *

"Is this the woman you saw tonight?" Haruka hands Natsuki a photograph of Meiling.

After their dinner, Natsuki and Shizuru immediately went to Haruka's.

"Yeah." Natsuki said looking at the photograph.

"Read this." Haruka hands her a thick folder. "See if you flash on anything."

Natsuki eyes the thick folder. "Do I really need to read this?"

"Yes. Read it twice. That's an order." Haruka looks at the brunette. "Fujino, I want you to call the director." She orders. "Tell them we have a situation. Priority code orange. We have a Chinese spy roaming around in Fuuka. We don't know why she's here and what her orders are but I know for sure, this smells like trouble."

* * *

_The morning after…_

"Good morning, Mai." Natsuki greets Mai who is eating breakfast.

"Good morning." Mai smiles at her. "You came home last night. Where have you been?"

Natsuki sits besides her. "Went on a double date with Chie and Aoi in China town."

"Really? You should have invited me." Mai hands Natsuki a toast.

"Sorry. Chie was the one who invited us. Don't worry; we'll go there some other time." She smiles apologetically at her friend.

"Ok then." Mai said. "Anyway, you know what tomorrow night is?"

"Of course." Natsuki answers.

* * *

_At Otome's…_

Natsuki was busy with paper works when Haruka approached her. The blonde agent gestures her to follow suit which the blunette oblige.

"I read the files. Sorry, but I didn't flash on anything." Natsuki informed the agent.

"Well, she's here for a reason." Haruka said. "Maybe you can flash on something tonight."

"Tonight?" Natsuki asked.

"Yeah, tonight." Haruka replied. "We'll be tailing Meiling. See if you'll flash on something or someone she'll talk to."

"My very first stake out." Natsuki said in a daze. "Ok. OK. Yeah." She looks on. "So, what do I need to bring tonight? Sweaters? Light jacket?"

"Nothing." Haruka replied. "You just have to bring that computer in your head."

"OK, look. I have more to offer tonight other than Duran." The blunette said.

Haruka gave her an amused brow. "And that would be?"

"Well… for instance, what are we having for tunes tonight, huh?" Natsuki asked. "I can make us some stake out mix." She said proudly.

Haruka rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Idiot." She whispered.

"Hey, I heard that!" Natsuki replied.

"Haruka." Mr. Casey called. "I need all the Greenshirts in my office. Now."

Natsuki smirks at the blonde. "Have fun."

* * *

All the Greenshirts gather inside Mr. Casey's office.

Their manager shows them a graph chart. "Sales are down people." He said pointing at the graph. "It seems like everyone is slacking off from their work." He looks sternly at them. "What we need is some motivation. Some good old fashion competition." He sits in his chair. "We're going to have a 24 hour sales competition."

Murmurs from the Greenshirts can be heard while Haruka looks on, bored from it all. On the side, the Greenshirt couple seems nonchalant about the announcement. Chie whispers something to Aoi that made the latter giggle which didn't go unnoticed to their manager.

"What's so funny Senoh? Care to share it with us?" Mr. Casey narrowed his eyes at the couple.

"Nothing's funny, Sir." Aoi stifles her giggles while Chie looks the other way.

"Harada, I like you to repeat what I just said."Mr. Casey ordered.

"Sir, yes sir." Chie straighten up and gave her boss a mock salute. "You were saying that the sales are down and that we are gonna have a 24 hour sales competition, Sir." Chie winks at her girlfriend.

Their manager's brow twitched. "Anyway, I'm giving away incentives to the winners. First place, Xperia Z1. Second Place, an eat all you can coupon at Toshio's Sushi House. Third place, you got to keep your miserable job." He looks at the Greenshirts. "And fourth place, you're fired."

"Better prepare 2 Xperia Z1 boss, because me and my baby are gonna win this." Chie said grinning. "Right baby?" Aoi smiles at her girlfriend.

"Is that so?" Mr. Casey said.

"Of course." Chie said proudly.

"I forgot to add that this is an INDIVIDUAL sales competition. You cannot help each other or even accept help from your fellow Greenshirt. This is a survival of the fittest. The strong will live and the weak will die." He looks sternly at Chie. "And if I ever see or ever find out that any of you break this rule, you are to be automatically disqualified from the competition and will be immediately fired."

Chie snorts. "Oh please. Don't joke around sir. That's not-"

"I don't joke around, Harada." Mr. Casey said in a serious tone. Chie could not help but gulp. "Do I make myself clear?" He added and looks at the other Greenshirt.

Chie and the other Greenshirts could only nod their head at their manager.

"Ok, now get your butts out of here. I'm gonna go take a nap." Mr. Casey said. "I'm keeping my eye on you, Harada." He warns the bespectacled Greenshirt.

* * *

Several hours after the sales competition started, Chie has yet to sell a merchandise.

She let out a dejected sigh. "This sucks."

A moment later, a potential client approaches Chie and asks about one of the store's merchandise. The Greenshirt immediately starts to sales talk her way to her potential customer for the day. Everything was going smoothly but not until Chie made some unnecessary side comments that made her client walk away. Unfortunately for her, Mr. Casey was doing rounds that time and saw what happened.

"You are a terrible sales person, Harada." Mr. Casey commented.

Chie walks away from her manager, crestfallen. She sees Aoi talking with a customer and waits until their conversation ended. She approaches her girlfriend as soon as the customer left.

"How are you doing?" Chie asks. "Another sale?"

Aoi nods her head. "Can you believe it?! I was able to sell my fifth blender for today."

"Wow! That's great. I'm so proud of you, baby." Chie gives her a quick peck on the cheek. "You'll probably win the first place."

"Thank you." Aoi smiles at her. "How about you? Any sales yet?"

Chie shakes her head.

"Don't worry, the competition just started anyway. You'll do fine." Aoi said.

"Uhm… baby… I'm wondering if…" Chie nervously scratches her neck. "I'm wondering if like maybe you can…uhm… tell one of your customers that-"

"You know I can't do that, Chie." Aoi cuts her. "You heard what Mr. Casey said."

"But-"

"No buts, Chie." Aoi said sternly.

"Ok." Chie sighs, her shoulders dropping.

Aoi can't help but feel guilty that she can't help her, but a rule is a rule. She wouldn't risk them getting fired from their work. She holds her girlfriend's face and tells Chie to look her in the eye. "I know you can do it, Chie." She said. "Don't worry, ok?" she gives Chie a chaste kiss on the lips. "Cheer up."

Chie nods her head and smiles weakly at her girlfriend.

* * *

"Hello, this is G-Force." Natsuki greeted a caller. "What's your computer emergency?" she took a pen and scribbled some notes. "I understand, Sir. We'll be there shortly." She thanked the caller and hang-up. She then ordered Takeda to attend their onsite call.

"Hey, Natsuki." Chie greeted the blunette who was now busy tidying their counter.

Natsuki smiles at her. "What's up?"

"I need your help."

"Let me guess, sales competition?" Natsuki asked.

Chie nods her head. "Choi is trying to eliminate us, one by one." She said. "I was wondering if maybe you can help me though."

"How about Aoi?" the blunette inquired.

"She can't. Mr. Casey made a rule that we can't ask for any help from a fellow Greenshirt. If we did and he finds out, he'll fire us." Chie explained.

"That sucks."

"I know. So can you help me? Like maybe tonight? You can help me with some sales strategies or something."

"Tonight? I don't know, Chie." Natsuki replied. "I have a date with Shizuru tonight and Mai wants to hang out."

"Please, Natsuki. I really need your help on this one. I'm on my knees now." Chie pleaded. "If I can't sell any by tomorrow, I'll be fired. You're my only hope, Natsuki Kuga."

Natsuki looks at her friend and can't help but feel guilty. She heaves a sigh. "Ok, I guess I'll be able to help you tonight after my date and then hang out with Mai afterwards."

Chie brightens up. "Thank you. Thank you." she reaches out and hugs the blunette over the counter.

* * *

_At China Town…_

A black van is parked not far from the red bamboo.

A burly man wearing a black jacket approaches the van.

"Incoming bogey." Haruka informed Shizuru who was sitting with her on the front. Haruka readied her gun, while Shizuru's on heighten alert.

The man approaches the driver's side and taps the window. The blonde agent cautiously opens the window.

"Delivery for Ms. Kruger." The man said politely, showing a paper bag with the Red Bamboo logo on it.

"That's me." Natsuki said from the back seat. She leans towards the driver's seat and reaches over for her package. "Thanks. Here, keep the change."

The man smiled at the blunette and left.

Haruka closes the window and looks at the blunette. "What part of being inconspicuous do you not understand, you idiot?"

Natsuki snorted. "Well, duh? That's why I used an alias. And besides, I might get hungry. Don't worry, its not like I can eat it all. I'll share it with you if you want."

Haruka growls at her while Shizuru can't help but chuckle.

"Fine. Don't blame me if you get hungry though." Natsuki retreats back to her seat. "I'll only share it with Shizuru then."

* * *

Moments later, a black limo stops infront of the restaurant. An old man on a wheelchair, with several suits escorting him, exits the Red Bamboo.

Natsuki and the two agents look on.

"Guys, who's the one on the wheelchair?" Natsuki asked.

"Wei Long Zhang." Haruka answered. "Chinese businessman. Owned several businesses here in China town."

The suits helped Zhang to the limo.

"Meiling." Shizuru informs them when she saw Meiling from the back.

Meiling is wearing a black biker jacket and black pants. She walks towards a motorbike that was park on a dark corner near the restaurant. She puts on her helmet and the starts following the leaving car.

"Guys, guys!" Natsuki called out. "They're leaving."

"It's ok, Natsuki." Shizuru said. "We need to be atleast 30 meters away inorder to tail them." She explained.

"Oh, a tail on a tail eh?" Natsuki said. "That would-"

Haruka shoves the blunette to the backseat before the latter could even finish what she was saying. "Shut up." The blonde agent then started driving.

* * *

The limousine stops infront of a nightclub. Meiling passed by the limo and stops a few meters away from the club. She opens the bike's compartment and takes out two pistols.

"Glocks." Haruka said. Their van stops right across the club. "Nice."

Meiling then hides her guns inside her leather jacket. Natsuki freezes when she sees a red star logo in one of Meiling's guns.

Images of mass deaths, civil unrest, and other unsettling images flashed before her.

"Those are not glocks. Those are Chinese army issue pistols." Natsuki blurts out.

Meiling scales a nearby post and then jumps over to the stairs of the club's fire escape.

"I think she's here for a spy mission. She's here to kill the guy in the wheelchair." Natsuki said.

"Are you sure about that?" Haruka asked.

"Well, duh?!" Natsuki taps her head. "I have Duran here so I'm pretty sure of it."

"We need to move in before Meiling do something." Shizuru unfastens her seatbelt. "We can't wait for the police, it might be too late."

Haruka nods her head in agreement. "Meiling might be a part of a bigger operation. We need her alive to find out what she knows."

The two agents left the car, leaving the blunette behind.

"Hey, guys!" Natsuki called. "What am I gonna do?"

"Park the van infront." Haruka said.

"Then, what do I do next?" Natsuki asked.

"Stay in the car." Shizuru replied.

"Yay!" Natsuki said sarcastically. "My four favorite words."

* * *

Mai, with a bowl of popcorn in her hand, is comfortably sitting on the couch while surfing thru the channel when the door bell rings.

"Come in!" she called out.

"Hey, where's Natsuki?" Chie made her way inside and sits besides Mai.

"On a date with Shizuru." Mai answered. "Why?" she stopped on a movie channel.

"She's supposed to help me with my sales."

Mai quirks a brow at Chie.

"We have this sales competition till tomorrow."

"What about Aoi?"

"Our manager made this stupid rule that we can't ask or even help a fellow Greenshirt. And if he ever finds out, we'll be fired." Chie sighs.

"Well, that sucks." Mai said.

"I know." Chie took some popcorn. "By the way, why are you here early? Who's watching the ramen shop?"

"My assistant's watching over." Mai answered. "I'm supposed to hang out with Natsuki tonight but she's late."

"Guess we'll have to wait for her then."

* * *

The two agents made their way to the club and tries to get inside. The bouncer opens the door for a lady ahead of them.

"Did you see her?" Shizuru asks the blonde agent.

Haruka squints her eye. "No. Too much crowd."

The bouncer closes the door. "On the list?"

Haruka was reaching for her pocket when the bouncer suddenly pulls out a gun.

"Woah." Haruka raises her hand and steps back.

"Don't move!" The bouncer said, pointing his gun at them.

"You're making a big mistake here." Shizuru said, her hands on the air.

"Hands on the wall!" The bouncer commanded.

"Your boss is in danger." Shizuru said as they did what the bouncer commanded.

The agents exchange knowing glances when the bouncer cautiously approached them.

The blonde agent made a quick turn and punched the bouncer straight in the face while Shizuru holds his armed hand and kicked him straight at the stomach. The brunette then flipped him over, knocking him off in an instant.

"Let's go." Shizuru said as they walk inside the club.

* * *

Natsuki is sitting in the van while eating her sizzling shrimp. She inserts a cd to the car's stereo and then starts bobbing her head to the music.

"Stake outs are kinda fun." She said with a mouthful of shrimp.

* * *

Inside the club, Zhang is playing cards with a group of men. Meiling walks in and pulls out her pistols. She aims her gun at Zhang's table just in time when Shizuru and Haruka barges through the door.

"Gun!" Shizuru shouted.

Meiling then shoot one of Zhang's men at the table. Zhang's men quickly overturn the table to shield their boss from the gunshots. As Zhang frantically wheels himself away, Meiling starts her gun fight with his men. She shoots another man and then dives to the bar.

As the shoot out progresses, the two agents run to a nearby couch for cover. A bullet hits the pillow of the couch where they are hiding at. Haruka then exchange fire.

"They think we're with her." Shizuru said.

"What?" Haruka ducks her head.

"They think we're with her." Shizuru repeated a little louder. "Those are kill shots."

Haruka growled. "I hate playing nice." She then shoots one of Zhang's men in the leg.

* * *

Natsuk is listening to a radio call show when she heard gunshots.

She looks back at the club and then shakes her head. "Listen to Shizuru." She looks infront. "Do not leave the car." She reminds herself.

* * *

Meiling peeks from the bar and sees Zhang wheeling himself out of the club. He was ordering one of his men to help him out but Meiling shoots the man before he could even help his boss. The Chinese spy once again took cover when bullets started flying to her direction. Zhang continues to wheel himself out while the two agents continue to duck and hide from the gun fight.

* * *

Natsuki tries her hardest to ignore the gunshots and instead listen to the radio call show. She sees Zhang leaving the club and decided to help him.

"Hey, let me help you." Natsuki said as she push Zhang's wheelchair.

"Oh, thank you very much. Thank you. Someone is trying to kill me." He said. "My car, this way."

As Natsuki helps Zhang, his men on the other hand picks up a bound and gagged Syaoran inside a storage closet. Syaoran tries struggle when they take him away.

* * *

_Inside the club…_

One of Zhang's men starts shooting at Meiling who is running away from the bar. She leaps to an overturned table infront of the man who was shooting at her and then shoots him midair. She immediately ducks for cover as two of Zhang's men starts shooting at her. She returns fire as she runs out of the door, kicking another man to the ground.

* * *

Natsuki wheels Zhang to his limo where his men were already waiting for him.

"Here you go." Natsuki gives Zhang to his men. "Here's your guy." Zhang's men help him to the limo.

As Natsuki turns and about to leave, she sees Syaoran being drag by two of Zhang's men. "Why is he tied up?" she asks.

"Throw him in the trunk!" Zhang ordered.

Natsuki looks on, confused. "Why would you throw him in the trunk?" she asked. Syaoran looks at her with pleading eyes as the men roughly shoved him in the trunk. "That's not very nice…."

Meiling exits the club, running to the car while shooting at it.

"Gah!" Natsuki screams and ducks as the car leaves.

Meiling turns around and points her gun at the blunette.

"Please don't shoot me." Natsuki pleaded.

"Where are they taking him?" Meiling asked.

"I-I don't know! I don't know!" Natsuki replied. "Please!"

"Do you work for him?" Meiling asked, breathing heavily.

"No! No! I don't!" Natsuki stands up with her arms raised. "Look, I just helped an old guy in a wheelchair…" She looks on. "Who puts people in trunks."

Meiling, seemingly convinced, lowers her weapon. "You idiot! That man is triad. Chinese mafia." She said to the shocked blunette. "And the man that he threw in the trunk is my brother."

"Your brother?" Natsuki said, realization suddenly hits her. "You were just trying to him save him."

"Yes, until you got in the way."

"I'm sorry. I didn't-" Natsuki didn't finish her sentence when the two agent's appears from the club's exit.

"Federal Agents!" Shizuru shouted as she points her gun at Meiling. "Drop your weapon!" she commanded.

"No! NO!" Natsuki waves her hand frantically at the agents. "Stop! Stop!" She said as Meiling starts to run off.

Shizuru runs to Natsuki. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asks.

"No." Natsuki replied. "I'm fine. I'm ok."

"What the hell happened?" Haruka asks, looking at the direction where Meiling run off to.

"She was just trying to save her brother." Natsuki said in a downcast tone and looks at agents. "I'm wrong. I blew it."

* * *

Natsuki came home late that night. "Woah!" she exclaimed, startled to see Mai waiting for her in the living room. "Why are you still up?"

Mai quirks a brow at Natsuki. "We're supposed to hang out, remember?"

"Oh, right." Natsuki smiles apologetically at her friend. "I'm sorry; it's just that something came up."

"And that would be?"

"You see… Shizuru… she…" Natsuki mentally curse at herself for not preparing a valid excuse beforehand.

Mai huffs and crosses her arms. "She, what?"

"Shizuru had a bad case of diarrhea." Natsuki blurts out. "So I need to stay with her."

Mai scrunched up her face. "Yuck."

"I know, right?" Natsuki tittered. "A girl as beautiful as Shizuru having-"

"Ok, Ok. I understand. You don't have to tell me the details." Mai cuts her. "Is she ok now?" she asks in concern.

"Yeah, she is." Natsuki answers. "Look, I'm really sorry. It's just that I can't leave her like that."

Mai sigh. "You're forgiven."

Natsuki smiles at Mai. "Thank you."

Mai stands up. "Just don't forget about tomorrow night." She heads to the bedroom.

"Don't worry; I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I sure hope so." Mai said. "Good night."

"Good night." Natsuki replied when Mai closes the door. "Diarrhea? What the f-"

* * *

_The morning after…_

Natsuki is surprise to see Haruka waiting for her outside their door. She looks inside their apartment before she closes the door. She raises a brow at Haruka. "What? Are you escorting me to work now?"

"You wish." Haruka grunted. "I just heard back from headquarters and they confirmed Meiling's story." The blonde agent said as they start walking. "Her brother, Syaoran Li, is a low level bureaucrat from Beijing. He was on his way for a business trip to Kyoto when local triads kidnapped him."

"The Chinese government receives a ransom call." Shizuru suddenly appears infront of the blunette who could not help but jump from surprise. "The Triads were asking for a release of a member arrested in Beijing in exchange for Meiling's brother but the Chinese refused." Shizuru fixes Natsuki's tie. "Meiling is here on her own. Her government didn't order a rescue op."

"What does it have to do with Zhang?" Natsuki asked.

"The agency always suspects him having a Triad root but they never proved it." Shizuru links arms with Natsuki as they walk out of the apartment complex.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Natsuki asked.

"Nothing." Haruka answered.

"Wait, what?" Natsuki looks at Haruka. "Look here, I just watched a guy get tossed inside a trunk because **I **was wrong. And you want us to do nothing?!"

"Those are orders, Natsuki." Haruka said. "We are not gonna start an international incident over something that the Chinese doesn't even care about. Let it go." She taps Natsuki's cheek and left.

Natsuki looks at the brunette besides her. "Shizuru, I screw up big time. It's going to be my fault if Meiling's brother dies."

"It's not your fault, Natsuki, it's hers." Shizuru said. "She disobeyed orders and went off the grid."

"But her superiors didn't even give her a choice!" Natsuki exclaimed. "Come on, Shizuru. If that was me I would have definitely done the same thing, well, minus the shooting at the club thing."

Shizuru sighs and let go of the blunette. "I know how you feel, Natsuki, believe me but there are orders. Orders that we need to obey and we can't do anything about it." The brunette said. "And the truth is, we can't save everyone."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Anime Character Reference:**

**Meiling Li – **she's from the anime Cardcaptor Sakura. She's Syaoran's cousin and fiancé. Oh yeah, there's a Cardcaptor x Mai Hime crossover story. If you haven't read it, give it a try. It's a good read. Title is: **CCS: Card Captor Shizuru! **By: **Serenite1992**

**Syaoran Li – **also from the anime Cardcaptor Sakura. He's also a cardcaptor and a descended of Clow Reid. He's the cousin and fiancé of Meiling but I opted to make them siblings in this story.

Life could have been much easier if I can update using my itouch. ^u^

**Leeyou**: don't worry, I won't abandon this story. =3

Thanks to ** , sammykhan, TweekinTinkaToy, manticore-gurl071134, Leeyou, InChemistryWeTrust, and the guests** who post a review for the last chapter.

* * *

**_Chapter 8 teaser: More sizzling Chinese spy action coming your way and… a break-up?!_**


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